The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-09-08
BR1rA1N's BARBARous BRUTALITY.

The cruel policy of determination
| which England attempted to carry out
in Ireland three hundred years ago is
being repeated in South Africa. Dur
ing EliZabeth's reign, Essex burned
the homes and destroyed the crops
der subsection; in the latter days of
Nictoria's reign Roberts is following
the same tactics in the Transvaal
to attain the same end. The brave
Beers are being treated in the same
harbarous manner in which the Irish
were treated in the days of Cromwell.
Men. women and children are victims
of Roberts drastic methods of war;
fare, and his name will henceforth he
an epithet of odium and detestation
in South Africa as that of Cromwell
is in Ireland after the lapse of 2GO
years.
The latest act of Roberts, as an
nounced by himself. is the annexation
of the Transvaal to the dominions of
Queen Victoria. The inhabitants will
now be treated as rebels if found in
arms against the British forces. In
other words, they will he shot, hanged
or transported by Roberts. Any man
suspected of disloyalty to England
will he at the mercy of this Anglo
Irish marauder. Only two weeks
ago young Cordua. n Transvaal artil-
lery officer. was pierced by eight bull
lets from the guns of British soldiers
after a court martial at which one
Judge Godfrey presided. He was
charged with being in plot to cap
ture Roberts and his officers in Preto-
ria. 1t developed in the trial that
British spy inyeigled him into the
conspiracy.
Every nation in Europe denounces
the British for the execution of the
Boer officer, and none are louder in
their condemnation than the Germans
and the French. The British tried
to implicate General Botha in the plot,
so that in the event of his capture
they could shoot him too instead of
banishing him with Cronje to st. Hell
ena. The plot was concocted by the
British themselves in order to fright
en- the Beers into submission.
Unless some of the great powers
render help to the Beers it is enevit-
able that sooner or later they must
relinguish the struggle against the in
vaders. but from present indications
they will not he forced to surrender
for Il long time to come. They can
prolong the struggle for an indefinite
period in the mountains where the
British are unable to follow them.
The British artillery and cavalry are
not of much account, and the infantry,
which lis the best arm Of the British
service. cannot perform impossible
tasks in chasing the Beers from kop-
Sc to kop in the face Of whitening
fire from Mausers and pcm-poms in
the hands of unerring marksmen.
Roberts can annex the Transvaal as
he did the Orange Free State but that
will not end the war. And even If
the Beers surrender the end will not
have yet come. The Beers may lie
subjngated but they will never be con-
quered. Unless they are extermi-
mated entirely or driven out of the
country. the British will never have
peace in South Africa and the day will
come when the name of Chamberlain
will be cursed by the British people
for waging an unjust war against
them. If the Beers are finally brought
under England's cruel yoke there will
be another Ireland to plague the Brit
ish in the dark continent. For years
to come it will be the danger spot of
the British empire.