The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-09
DAVIS DEFENDS THE Beers

DAVIS DEFENDS THE Beers.
Continued from first page.
of the republic and at the same time re-
main British subjects. Who ever before
heard of such a proposition? Would the
citizens of the United States be willing
to allow British subjects or the sub
jects of any other Power to come here
and control our own elections and our
own government and az the same time
not renounce their allegiance to their own
countries?
Forced Into the Quarrel.
THE simple truth of the matter is that
the British government forced President
Kruger into quarrel after he had done
everything in his power TO avoid it, While
negotiations were pending British troops
were being massed in South Africa The
basis of the negotiations meanwhile were
ingeniously shifted that as the British
preparations for war had grown more
complete the acceptance by the Beers of
the so-called British terms would mean
an. ever increasing measure of submis-
sion and humiliation on the part of the
TransvaaL
THE British demands were trunnped up
and are without a sound basis, either in
morals or in law. II is a sad spectacle of
the strongest empire in the world bring
ing domineering pressure to bear upon
tiny republic to influence a change of
certain domestic policies, which are, in
no sense, a part of the business of that
empire. For the Beers to comply with
the demands of the British government
would have meant the sacrifice of every
vestige of essential sovereignty belonging
to the Transvaal as an independent re-
public.
THE question of the naturalization of
foreigners in the South African republic
is no more the business of the British
government than are the naturalization
laws of the Republic of Mexico a matter
of concern to the republic of the United
States of America. 1t is one of those
questions of internal policy that pertains
only to the Transvaal government.
Beers Abused by British.
THE Beers have been greatly abused by
the British because it is alleged they be-
gan the war. In other words, the Beers
were too hasty: they would not wait I'M
til all the British troops had arrived in
South Africa. Who ever heard of such
nonsense? That great civilized nation of
40O000,OG0 of people are complaining be-
cause the people Of the two little repub-
lies, who do not number all told, more
than 300 0G0 people, including men, women
and children, insisted upon issuing their
ultimatum and then proceeded to give bat
lie before the British hosts should arrive.
While on the Boer side, all told, there
were not more than 10000 men, and these
had but few inferior cannon and no
bayonets or swords at all practically the
only arms they had were Mauser rifles.
lone Boer to ten British. And yet the
Beers We're not trained soldiers; only sim.
pie, plain farmers; like the thousands of
rugged farmers in our own country. They
Lot fs-a1x
the same kind of people that Abraham
Lincoln loved
''As citizens of the greatest republic in
the world with which side should we
symrathize? l say our sympathies should
go out to that brave little band of patri-
OTIS who are struggling to keep alive for
ever the fires of liberty upon the affairs of
those two young republics.
No Outrages of White Flag.
1--WE have seen many charges made by
British officers and British newspaper cor
respondents that the Beers have fire.
uuently outraged the white flag and the
red cross flag. Upon investigation, not
only among the Beers themselves, but
among the 1000 British prisoners, includ-
ing the officers, who were at Pretoria
when we We're there, we learned that
these charges were absolutely unfounded.
On the contrary we did learn that this
was q ser UP JOD TO deceive HbN only the
people of Great Britain at home, but to
deceive the peoples of other civilized
countries. The truth is. defy contradic-
ton that the British soldiers themselves
are the parties who violated many of the
rules of civilized warfare, and frequently
ignored the white flag and also the red
cross flag. 1t was my fortune to witness
some OF these scenes myself. On the
top of Spion's kop. when that wonder
full battle was almost over, a young Boer
soldier-not more than seventeen years
of age-was passing by wounded British
soldier and the British soldier asked him
for a drink of water; as the tender-heart-
ed Boer lad was kneeing down by his
side to let him drink water from mis- own
canteen, that British soldier thrust a
bayonet INTO the poor boys side. And
myself talked with him, and, kneelng by
him shed tears when he died
During the battle OF Dundee there was
lull in the firing for a time, on account
OF the Beers seeing a buggy approaching
them rapidly and floating a white flag.
All awaited its arrival. At distance of
about 900 yards from them the buggy
stopped wheeled about. dropped the y hite
flag and that innocent looking buggy was
suddenly transformed into a murderous
Maxim gun. which feed nearly a dozen
Beers. l talked with the man who cap
tured that flag and saw IL myself. 1t was
a white flag with a small black stripe
through the center. but at q short distance
away IL seemed perfectly white; that flag
Is now in the possession OF Col. Blake.
the brave American soldier who commands