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

independence. AS the country was o.,
little value, after taking security thai
slavery should not be practiced, and ~
serving kind of suzerainty in order n
retain the right Of interference in case od
necessity and hoping home rule miobt
work well, the government foolis6l,-
granted the request. 1t was great m;c
take, the heavy penalty of which is nor,
being paid. Things went fairly well t;II
the discovery of the diamond and ooIS
mines, when in few years 100 600 fu"r
lish and other foreigners rushed into t6.
country. The Beers, instead of rising r.
the situation and granting rights as in
Australia and Cape Colony, looked unon
the Uitlanders as Philistines to be dr;vsn
out or as Egyptians to be spoiled. in
fiicted upon them the intolerable wronos
mentioned above. Then followed t5s
jameson raid, the unfortunate thno
about which was that it failed. Pres
Kruger promised reforms and the EnpliSh
agreed to see that they were pranted
but they were not granted. ProbabIv
the Beers had no intention OF grant;ro
them. Then as the only resort, twentS
one thousand British subjects petit;oneJ
their government for redress. Everu
government is under obligation to nro
tect its subjects wherever they NAV he
The Beers probably to gain time b~t
secretly have been preparing for wa
Krupp guns and other munitions of wa.
have been purchased in Europe. Fort;6.
cations and forts have been built The
has been going on for ten years. In Oct.
ober 80. 900 stand of arms and 20 O00
900 rounds of ammunition were received
Feeling that they were now ready the
Beers issued their insolent utimatnm ~
the English demanding an answer in two.
days. Then they marched in three direc.
tions into the British territory issuino.
proclamations of annexation as thes
went. They had no doubt but that they
could drive the English into the sea and
annex the two British colonies to the
Transvaal and have Great South Afr;.
can Boer Republic, from which the Emo.
lish would be excluded. Probably Cod
has other plans. One good result al
ready apparent is the consolidation Of
the British Empire as has never existed
before. The colonies have shown an AZ.
fiction for the mother country that has
astonished not only Europe but the
English themselves. The result probably
will be South African British Dominion
similer to the Dominion of Canada and
Australia, in which all will enjoy equal
and civil rights; civilization, law, educa.
ton and enlightenment will prevail and
all material interests rapidly developed.
resulting greatly for the benefit of the
Beers as well as the natives and all the
other nationalities. We can but sympa.
thize with the English. No alternative
was left to them but to fight. Nav sue,
cess attend them.
No one can read South African affairs
without continually coming across dis
paraging remarks and insinuatious
against the Hon. Joseph Chamberlain,
investigation will show that he is one Of
the great men OF the times. He has risen
from theranks and his aim and ambition
is to elevate and better the condition Of
laboring men throughout England and
the Empire. He is probably the most pop
ular man in England at the present time.
Another man continually maligned is
Hon. Cecil Rhodes. He is one of the
greatest statesmen of the British Empire.
He fully believes in the survival of the fit
test and that the British Empire and the
English speaking race are ordained for
the regulation of the world. Wherever
the British Empire extends there goes civ
enlightenment, liberty and good
government. He is wealthy, but his
wealth aud energies are devoted to the
welfare of Africa. Rhodesia was his ere.
alton; he passed it to the empire. The
20 sIr0 d. Il.
South Africa are of his projecting. The
Cairo to the Cape road is one OF his grand
conceptions. He believes in this way the
Dark Continent will be more rapidly de-
veloped and enlightened than in any other.
His ideas are the opposite of Kruger's,
therefore the Beers hate him. But long
may he live and his ideals be realized.
c. F. MORSE.
st. Johnsbury, March 1, 1900.