New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-18
HEATED BoER CORRESPONDENT
SOME CANDID DEALING WITH HIM.

able. You gladly devoted a column and a half Of
The Tribunes valuable space to Mr. Shearnan but
you suppressed my answer, which would have oc-
cupied but a few lines.
You have not alone perpetrated this injustice
upon the Boer Republic, but after having been in
formed Of the exact facts in the by myself you
have maliciously and deliberately permitted your
columns TO be twice used for the repetition Of
SANDER. Now. sir, am not the only reader Of The
Tribune who has observed that those who write to
you on the English side Of the South African War
either for shame of their opinions or through cow
ardice, generally sign their initials or nom de
plume, while in every case the correct and full
names appear Of the advocates Of the republics.
As it has not been my custom to answer bogus
communications. whether written in the office OF a
paper or outside. have not noticed these anony-
i name IN IuII and great publicity was given TO his
noeIious statements in your columns, I believed
brief hearing in renly. You have not Afforded me
that opportunity. but you have attempted apollo
thinking editorials with which The Tribune usually
No Al Riverside Drive. New-York. Jan Il. 1900.
The above is a single page from a letter Of
seven pages with which Mr.. T. St John Gafney
has favored US. His ideas Of propriety in the
statement Of his own views and the discussion
Of those Of others, sufficiently illustrated in
what we print to satisfy the tastes of Tribune
readers
As to Mr.. Shearman's remark that Catholics
suffer from political disabilities in the Trans
vaal, which Mr.. Gafney describes as false, and
again as slanderous, it is only needful to say
that the last accessible translations of the
Transvaal Constitution, in Articles 20 to % de-
clare that persons shall be elected to the
Voksraad who are not members of the Dutch
Reformed Church. and that no Roman Catholic
churches, any churches save those which
teach the doctrine of the Heidelberg Catechism,
hall he cd u-i+Ei Ia
scr Bryce himself. whose position Mr.. Gaffney
extols and whom he claims as his champion,
quoted from these articles in The Forum of
April, 1896, saying that while their extreme
provisions had fallen into neglect, members Of
the voksraad were still required to belong TO
the Protestant Church. Professor Bryce's lat
est utterance on the subject, so far we know.
may be found in his work. Impressions
OF South Africa" just published, where, in
chapter o. on page 404. he says: Members Of
other churches (than the Dutch Reformed) were
at one time excluded from the suffrage and from
all public Offices and even now Roman Catholics
are under some disability"
Our columns are now open to Mr.. Gaffney for
a polite withdrawal Of his charges Of falsehood
and malice against Mr.. Sherman. and The
Tribune together with such apology
gentleman makes. If ever unfortunately be-
trayed into such an affront. Until afterward,
however our columns open to him for no
other purpose
The remaining sheets Of his long letter are
full Of like flowers Of rhetoric and display the
same standard as to exactitude Of statement
Thus, he CONSTITUTES The Tribunes remark that
some Of Mr.. Gaffney's compatriots on the other
side Of the ocean had exulted in the death Of
Gordon and appIauded the Mahdi into a dec
Iaration that some OF our own pro-Boer CORE
spondents had done so, and valorously "chal-
lenges" US TO produce their names He asserts
that all pro-Boer correspondents have
signed their full names. while those on the
English side, either for shame through cow
ardice, conceal them; and thereupon insinuates
that they may have been written in the Office
the facts being that the majority on the English
side have signed their names. that a considera-
bic number of those on the Boer side have not,
and that not one on either side has been printed
which did not come in due course from a genu-
inc correspondent. He discovers that in &C
casional editorials The Tribune IS aiming at
him, but has not the courage to print his
name" He says The Tribune has made fee
BILE attempt to deceive its readers and the Brit
ish public; charges that the supporters OF
Great Britain are merely wall Street and
what II represents; talks Of the junction and
egotism" displayed in reference to our dis
patches; chides "the decentralization, sophis-
try, Misrepresentation and abject and serVlle
tone" Of these dispatches; kindly explains that
he could overlook violations OF fairness and de-
cency, hops and disqualification, but can never
forgive "cringing sycophancy"; makes for the ten
thousandth time the old discovery Of something
in The Tribune that ought to make the body
Of the late Horace Greeley turn in his grave
berates men responsible for the present conduct
OF the British Government as crew Of Angli-
can Jew adventures" and gloats over his asser-
ton that at this hour the name Of Chamber
lain is mentioned in Great Britain with bated
breath If spoken at all, and his unhappy
sovereign will not admit him TO her presence
These samples are enough. One other, how
ever. may be interesting since it probably gives
the key TO Mr. Gaffney's temper. He sneers at
the American hospital ship sent from London by
Americans there as IAN obnoxious social
dodge" and quotes with approval some anony-
nous person as saying that II would have been
much better If they had got up subscription
for a Philippine hospital ship.
Here is the milk in the cocoanut. In a pre-
vious letter in The Tribune Mr.. Carney MADE
these same filings at the ladies in London who
were guilty Of sending aid TO the wounded and
sick in South Africa. He took the responsibility
for his ieers at humanitarian work that time
himself. being apparently ignorant Of the fact
that a hospital ship had already been sent from
this side TO Manila, and that many trained
nurses as the Government would consent to re-
ceive and as many hospital supplies as they
needed had also been sent. On this The Trib-
une made the following comment:
THE alleged American Women are, all rest
dents OF London and most OF them have W. loGg 5
moi know what contributions they may have IN
IN America Though we do know that many thou
sands Of dollars came from American women SO