St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-03-07

reported a millionaire. What contrast
is this with the government of the Eng
lish? Over in Cape Colony, less than zoe
miles away, all are allowed to vote
the English, the Dutch and the Zulus
Both the Dutch and the English language
are allowed and required in the egisla-
ture and the courts. Grants are made
to Dutch schools, and all public docu-
ments are recorded and published in both
languages. Cape Colony, under the
English. is far more Republic than the
Transvaal under the Beers.
But there is deeper question. What
is the occasion of the deep seated hatred
of the Beers against the English? 1t is
partly hereditary, fostered and encour-
aged by the Holanders and the Germans
in Europe. But the great occasion is
slavery. The Beers, like the slavehold-
ers of the South, fully believed in the d.
vine right of slavery. They regarded the
colered people as interior, ordained to be
the servants ofthe whites. They thanked
God for the institution. They captured
slaves in forests, obtained them from West
Africa and bought and sold them as cat
tie. All held them. 1t was their main
property. They were scattered on their
farms and slaves might be killed without
redress. When the English government
awoke to the great sin of slavery and re-
solved to Eberate all the slaves in their
dominions, they liberated the slaves of
the Beers. They were under no obiga-
ton to pay for the slaves. When our
government enacted laws against the
slave trade, they liberated the slaves,
con6scated the vessels and punished the
owners as pirates. But the English,
wishing to deal fairly, gave to the world
the sublime moral spectacle of taxing
themselves to help the slave owners bear
the burden of emancipation. The portion
that fell to the Beers was G3O0O,0OO
This was only about one. third the value
of the slaves. The payments were made
by drafts, payable in London. The Beers
toolishly sold these drafts for less than
half their value. The slaves, after eman-
cipation, would not work. The Beers
were ruined. They did not sympathize
with the humane sentiments of the Eng
llsh and hated them, as the authors of
their rnin. The government protected
the slaves in their rights. This was more
than the Beers could bear. Their cup
was full. They resolved to migrate or
trek, as they called it, into the wilderness
to get rid of the restraints of the British
government, the same as the Mormons
migrated to Utah to get rid of the re-
straints of the United States government.
They endured great hardships and no one
can read their trials without admiring
their heroism and faith. President Kru-
ger, then twelve years ofage, though an
English subject born in Cape Colony,
treked with his father into the wilderness.
Slavery was revived under the name of |
apprenticeship. The natives were beat.
en- back and their lands taken possession
of. Other Beers followed. The natives
by their wrongs arose against
the Beers and would have annihilated
them. But in their distress the Beers ap.
pealed to the English. They could not
properly help them without annexing
heir territory and raising the British
lag. This was done to the great delight
'f the Beers. After sacrificing many
ives and millions of money, the natives
we're beaten back and order and peace
vas restored. The Beers were grateful,
'ut after a while they became uneasy
again and petitioned the government for