Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-06-12

UutINe ueruer. NOW uuO Iueu we
could see one Of the huge wagons, g.
gantic affairs drawn by six yoke Of OK
en-, Of some Boer family on the move.
The railway Is well laid, well ballast
ed, and the slated houses were Of the
neatest and cleanest, with yards and
surroundings kept in the best Of order.
But my special interest was in the
people. There were no throngs of
them, but each station had its little
bunch Of loafers to ''see the train come
in" At some Of the stations men
boarded the train who were evidently
on their way to 1.-The 'front.'" The Boer,
except the police and an artillery or
ganization, wears no uniform. He
fights as he stands in the clothes Of his
everyday life. His cartridge belt, usu-
ally worn across the shoulder, and his
rife are almost the only sign of his SOL
diering. Some wear q striped ribbon,
red, white, blue and green, the Boer
colors, around the hat, some wear n
metal badge fastened upon the hat
rim, but the majority, so far as appear
ance goes, might as well be going out
to hunt blesbok as going out to shoot
at Englishmen. SLOUGH hated, rough
~ dressed and usually heavily bewhis-
kered gentlemen shook hands with
friends and sometimes kissed a family
group which had come to see them of.
There was nothing of violent emotion,
little or nothing of enthusiasm. In this
respect also the man might as we'll
have been going on a hunting trip as
going to war. But think it was rath-
er racial stolidity than any absence
of real feeling.
On the way in l had some opportuni-
ty for conversations with various peo-
ple native burghers and sympathizing
uitlanders. Many Englishmen talk a
lot Of nonsense about the Beers, and,
equally, many Beers talk lot Of non
sense about the English: Yet all these
people are quite honest in their indi-
vidual opinions. Perhaps all are partly
right and all very decidedly wrong.
The real trouble lies partly In igno-
rance and partly in lack Of effort
to understand the people of other races
and tongues. Many of the Beers EVIL
IDENTITY feel very strong and some
very bitter toward the English.
Among the considerable number with
whom I talked lack Of good faith was
an open charge. One, an uitlander,
Hungarian by birth, man of clear
intelligence and good social position,
spoke of long petition with 21,OOO
signatures, In which prayer was made
to the English queen for aid and re-
dress for uitlanders' grievances against
the Beers. The document bore his own
signature, but, he asserted, he had
never signed such petition. He had
signed, he told me, as had many Of his
neighbors, petition for tramway to
pass his house. His claim was that
the signatures to the tramway petition
had been attached to the political petit
ton to the queen.
I have not as yet fallen in with any
uitlanders from America or from Eng
land. Many of the English have gone
away; some have been deported. But
of those whom have met who come
from continental Europe none has
had special complaint to make Of e.
Their Boer people or Boer government.
There was no claim that either was
perfect or even superior, but It was
held that there was no special ground
for reasonable complaint against the
life under the flag Of the South African
republic. The charge that 1t was all a
capitalists war was very frequently
made, and Cecil Rhodes was evidently
, regarded as side partner to his satan
ic majesty. l met end had q long talk
with one gentleman who was evidently
Of the better and more progressive
class. He classed himself as q born
Boer. a native burgher. He seemed q
man Of large property interests and
was evidently concerned In public af-
fairs. He had known Cecil Rhodes
from his very beginning In South A.
RIGA. He was one Of those mine own
ers in Kimberley who, in the early
days, refused to sell out to the COM
pany which Rhodes wished to form.
Within a year the big syndicate was
formed, and all were squeezed out who
would not go into it. My acquaintance
| was among the squeezed and had new
er got over his hatred toward the pro-
moter Of the big enterprise. am get
ting to think it quite probable that
some new stories are yet to be told re-
garding the war In South Africa, and it
may be that the worst thing that Eng
land can do for herself will be to win
the fight.
Our train reached Pretoria at Z p. m.
and am stalled, for the time, in a
wholly comfortable hotel--in fact,
more homelike establishment than any
other Of my experience since l left the
States.
EXPEDITION Rates In Paris.
The cost Of admission tickets to the
exposition varies. No tickets are sold
al the entrances. All must be bought
Of the vendors outside. and II one Is
willing to be a little patient and not
! take the first offered he will be uble
to get a ticket for SIS centimes, or II
cents; but as soon as one Of these
It,. A<,I ~--