Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-09-28
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.

THE BRITISH IN THE HOUR OF VICTORY
The Boer war is coming to an end In a |
manner that must be very unsatisfactory |
to the British. There has been no final
siege or battle, no spectacular capltula-
ton on unconditional terms, no surren-
der of swords and laying down of arms
no return of trlumphal army to Eng
land Few people suppose that there
are 5000 Beers under arms at the present
moment and yet a vast British army is
kept running from one part of the Trans
wal and the Orange state to the other
chasing fugitive bands of Dutch who
refuse to Weld to the verdict of battle.
formidable percentage of the Beers
have apparently decided TO accept eXter-
mination rather than subsection. Every
day or two we hear of farm houses
burned by the order of a British COM
mander as an act of retaliation for the
breaking of parole, and we know that
the British soldiers are continually eX-
posed to the sniping Burghers who are
supposed to be quietly at their homes.
The Beers are right in assuming that
they are to receive little consideration
from their British conquerOrs. The pol
icy of at least tory England is to utterly
wipe out the two South African Dutch
republics This is the way that Joseph
Chamberlain talks to his constituents on
the eve of the general election: ut is
the policy of the present government,
which you are asked to approve, that
these separate, independent govern
ments, which have been constant men
ace to her maiesty's supremacy in South
Africa, should never again be restored,
but that after period of administration.
backed by military force. the length of
which period will depend on the readi-
ness with which the Boer population ac-
cept the British flag, the people of the two
states shall be received into the empire
on the footing of governing colonies,
in which position they will enjoy more
liberty than they ever had before. and
the equality of nights and privileges
which they persistently denied to the
British in their midst"
If this policy is persisted in. it will be
the most complete obliteration of peo-
pie in modern times. The generous
spirit of victor, which has become so
common and commendabe a feature of
modern wars, seem to be wanting in the
British. They are bent upon picking up
every crumb of revenge they cap, and
their replies to overtures made by Presi-
dent Kruger have shut the door of hope
for any peace which does not mean st.
Helena for the leading generals and the
utter withdrawal of political privileges
from the rank and file of the Dutch. SO
bitter is the British press that many of
the papers resent in words of astonishing
severity the act of courtesy of the gov
eminent of the Netherlands in Offering to
the late president of the Transvaal the
use of warship to transport him to
Europe. The tory Standard calls this
action of Holland provocative, insoent
and cowardly. 1t intmates that if the
Dutch rank themselves with the enemies
of Great Britain they must take the con-
sequences. This is revelation of petty
resentment which will do England no
good. 1t seems more like the survival
of the old enmity of the l7th century,
and recalls the time when the Dutch Ad-
miral van TrOmp swept the English
channel with his victorious fleet. having
a broom at the masthead of his flagship.
England ought to keep well within the
spirit of the present century in her deal
ings with both friend and foe. She GER
tainly is not doing this in the case of the
south African Dutch.-Rutland Herald.
5000
JAPAN'S NEW PARTY.
The Marquis Ito, Japan's great states
man. has lust issued call for new pO-
litical party. lie says
1T has been several years source of
profound regret to me to observe ten
dency on the part of the existing political
parties to be betrayed into words and
deeds which are at variance with the
principles laid down in the constitution.
which indicate a proneness to sacrifice
national for private interests and which,
moreover, are antagOnistic to the funda-
mental national policy"
And he goes on to outline for his erik
ken Seiu kai'' Constitutional Political
party an inspiring programme of free
dom of honesty and efficiency in the