Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-23
.ENGLAND'sWARWITH Beers
OPEN LETTER ADDRESSED TO SENA-
TOR WELLINGTON AND OTHERS.
MIR. Alleyne ireland Takes Issue With
Speakers at Reception of En-
voys Sunday Night.

An omen letter has been addressed to Sem
ator George L. Wellington Of Maryland, for
mer Representative Bourke Cochran of
New York and the other American speak
ers at the Boer reception at the Grand
Opera House in this city Sunday night last
by Mr. Alleyne Ireland, close student of
England's colonial system, and the author
of many books upon subjects having to deal
with this system, including THE Anglo
Beer Conflict; Its History and Causes, re-
Gently issued. Mr.. Ireland takes issue with
the speakers on their attack upon the Brit
ish government, saying:
"Gentlemen-I was present at the recep-
ton given to the Boer delegates in the
Grand Opera House at Washington. d. c.,
on Sunday evening, May %. l was accom-
panied nv n stenographer who took down
what speeches and portions of speeches
directed | mention this in order to avoid
any contention that the criticisms which !
make in this letter are Daseu on inaccurate
newspaper reports.
THE American speakers on the occasion
directed the greater part of their time not
to any explanation of the justice of tae
Boer cause, but to general attack upon
the British government in the past and
the present We were told of the Field of
Senlao, of the iniquities or Give and Has
tings in India. of the eloquence of Burke.
of the influence of British imperial policy
land, of the difference between the Norman
and the Anglo-Saxon elements in the make
up of the average Briton, OF the unrepre-
sentative character or the BrltlSh parma
ment of the danger threatening the Mon
roe doctrine from the dispatch of Canadian
troops to South Africa, OF the bitter enmity
shown by England to this country during
the past two hundred years and of great
many other things absolutely unconnected
with the merits of the cause represented by
the Boer delegates.
Leaving out all this irrelevant matter
and passing over, as a pleasant 1nterlude.
Mrs. Lambs charming recitation of Tho
Spirit of 70" there were few statements
made about the war in South Africa, the
incorrectness of which may be due to the
fact that they slipped by chance. apparent
", into eloquent speeches on American poll
tics.
Statements Quoted.
81 do not differentiate the speakers, but
these We're the statements:
"nD That God would not permit the in
justice of the absorption of the South Afri-
can republics into the British empire.
"(2) That if God by any chance should
show Himself remiss in arranging the de-
feat of the British. the great American peo-
pie would take up the work where lie left
it off.
.t:i) That this could be effected if the
American people said TO Great Britain the
one word, STOP.
80 That Mr.. Cochran trcmbled at the
which would follow possible
British victory.
go That every single book written
about the war by Englishmen is full of
brutal ferocity.
"U0 That the Transvaal system of taxa
ton is the highest in the world.
40 That the Beers are fighting for the
same things that the American colonies
fought for in 1Iti
I'm regard to the first and second points.
/ can express no opinion. AS to the first l
am held back by the fact that | am not in
the confidence of the Almighty in regard 20
His intentions in South Africa: as regards
the second part l cannot Permit myself to
indulge in any remarks. because | do not
think it is fitting thing for foreigner to
express any public views to what the
American people may or may not DO in any
Mr. IreIand's Comment.
ION the other points 1 feel at liberty to
offer these remarks.
"(a) AS to the suggestion that the word
stop from the American people would
cause Great Britain to stay hec hand,
can only say that unless a residence CT
many years in all parts of the British en-
pire has failed to teach me something of
the temper and spirit of the people OF Great
and Greater Britain. am right in believing
that so far from That word causing ces-
sation of hostilities, 1t would plunge this
and the British empire into
bloody struggle infinitely more deplorable
than the present one, and frauSht with far
greater dangers to the general progress of
"b) If Mr.. Cochran trembes at the con-
sequences which would follow a British vic
tory in South Africa, he trenbles at things
v hich will make most other people rejoice.
He trembes at the granting, after
brief and necessary interval, of all sub
stantial rights of elfgovernment to all
,I,.l l>,-
the South African republics-a right hther-
to confined to a small percentage of the IN
habtants.
HE trembes at the throwing open of
these territories to the free and unre-
stricted competition of American COM
merce
He tremhles at the abolition of those
unjust monopolies which have stif1ed many
branches of trade in the Transvaal.
He trembles at the removal of those
laws which forbid jew or Roman Catho-
lie to hold office under the government.
He trembles at the granting to every
man the right of trial by jury of his
peers.
He trembles at the establishment of an
honest and impartial judiciary.
He tremh,es at the erection of an honest
and efficient civil service.
He trembles at these things. for these
are the consequences which would follow
a final British triumph in South Africa.
Declared to he Untrue.
so The statement that every book writ
ten by Englishmen about the war is full
of brutal ferocity is untrue. Can Mr.. Cock
ran give passage of brutal ferocity oc-
curing In any of the following books:
=" Great Britain and the Dutch republics,
Times office, London, 1900
The Transvaal From Within by Ftz-
pa trick, London, 1900
Z" Impressions of South Africa James
Bryce, New York, 1890
e The Anglo Boer Conflict Alleyne Ire
land. Boston, 1900.
'td) The statement that the taxation In
the Transvaal is the lightest in the world
is untrue. as will appear from the follow
ing figures:
Revenue per capita
Country. from taxation
tper head of white population
,"it'u ,h'eS ......-... 10
I hiiel hliSuom Ito.
3 i"if-e io''-
Draws II Comparison.
''(e) The statement that the Beers are
fighting for the same things for which the
American colonies fought In 17I6 may be