The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1900-03-22
s. Unconditional Surrendor.'s

ssUnconditi0nal Surrender
One Of two alternatives now con-
fronts the republics Of South Africa
."unc additional surrender or merciless
light to the bitter end, perhaps to the
point Of determination. AS the situa-
ton now stands, it looks as though
both propositions meant ultimately
much the same thing extinction Of
republican institutions in South Africa.
The reply Of the British premier to the
note of Presidents Kruger and Steyn
and his refusal Of the mediatory offer
Of the United States, rendered upon
the solicitation Of the two South Afri-
can presidents, make it plain that if
there had at any time been a possibi!-
ity Of compromise that time is now
passed. Denuded Of the suave YER
biage Of diplomacy, Lord Salisbury's
reply to Secretary Hays tender Of our
good offices was bluntly to the effect
that if the presidents Of the South
African Republic and the Orange Free
State wanted to know upon what
terms the British government would
end the war they should ask Lord Rob-
erts, the commander in the field. His
reply, as everybody knows, would be
unconditional surrender" and this
the Afrikanders know full we'll means
political extinction. Great Britain has
Informed them in plain terms that not
only will she not assent to the indie
pendence of the Transvaal, the COM
plete independence of which she has
never acknowledged, but that she will
reduce the Orange Free State from the
condition Of ''an international sover-
eign state" which, without dispute, it
was before the war began, to a condi-
ton Of dependency, the rights of which
shall be such as Great Britain may
choose to allow. The fiat has gone
forth from London that proud Albion"
will brook no interference upon the
part of other powers, but will push the
war increasingly until the "uncondition-
al surrender of the struggling Beers
has been accomplished. Notice has
been served on them that Great Britain
intends their complete subjugation and
absolute extinction as political entities.
The note Of Presidents Kruger and
Steyn was a clever piece of diplomacy,
as it put Great Britain on record as to
her intentions toward the South Afri-
can republics. If anything were needed
to spur on the Afrikanders to heroic,
united and untlinching effort to main
tain their liberties, it is supplied in
Lord Salisbury's demand for their "un-
conditional surrender
Pursuing this war OF subjugation,
Lord Roberts has made a triumphal en-.
try into Bloemfontein, and the British
flag now floats over the late Free State
capital, which was removed to Kroon.
stadt, near the Transvaal border. Now
the British slogan is "On to Pretoriav'
From Bloemfontein to Pretoria may
not be long cry, but between the two
capitals rivers Of Boer and British
blood are likely to flow, and before the
latter shall have aeceded to the de-
mand for unconditional surrender it
will be, in the language of President
Kruger, at a "cose that will stagger
the world
The picture is not pleasant one.
Whatever may be said Of the merits or
the causes Of the war, one can hardly
look otherwise than with pity upon
these humble, God fearing, though
perhaps uncouth and unprogressive,
people in their apparently hopeless
but heroic struggle to maintain their
political independence in the remote
veldts and mountains Of South Africa,
whittier their fathers had trekked with
the hope Of finding a place where they
and their posterity might worship God
and conduct their affairs in their own
simple fashion.