The Irish standard., 1900-04-14

mean an ever increasing measure of
submission and humiliation on the part
Of the. Transvaal.
"The British demands were trumpet
up and are without sound basis, either
in morals or in law. 1t is sad spec
tacle of the strongest empire in the
world bringing domineering pressure to
bear upon tiny republic to influence
change of certain domestic policies,
which are in no sense part of the bust
ness of that empire. For the Beers to
comply with the demands Of the Brit
ish government would have meant the
sacrifice of every vestige Of essential
sovereignty belonging to the Transvaal
as an independent republic.
"The question of the naturalization OF
foreigners in the South African repub-
lie is no more the business of the Brit
ish government than are the naturaii-
cation laws of the republic of Mexico
matter of concern to the republic of the
United States of America. It is one
OF those questions OF internal policy
that pertains only to the Transvaal gov
eminent.
"The Beers have been greatly abused
by the. British because it is alleged they
began the war. In other words, the
Beers were too hasty; they would not
wait until all the British troops had ar
rived in South Africa. Who ever heard
Of such nonsense? That great civilized
nation Of 100000 people are COM
planning because the people of the two
little republics, who do not number, all
told, more than 100000 people, includ-
ing men, women and children, insisted
upon issuing their ultimatum and then
proceeded to give battle before the
British hosts should arrive. While on
the Boer side, all told, there were not
more than 10000 men, and these had
but few inferior cannon and no bay
oncts or swords at all. Practically the
only arms they had were Mauser rifles.
Zone Boer to ten British. And yet
the Beers were not trained soldiers;
only simple, plain farmers; like the
thousands of rugged farmers in our own
country. They are just plain, common
people, precisely the same kind OF peo-
pie that Abraham Lincoln loved.
During the battle Of Dundee there
was lull in the firing for time, on
account OF the Beers seeing buggy
approaching them rapidly and floating
a white flag. All awaited its arrival.
At distance of about Goo yards from
them the buggy stopped, wheeled about.
dropped the white flag and that inno-
cent looking buggy was suddenly trans
formed into murderous Maxim gun,
which felled nearly dozen Beers. !
talked with the man who captured that
flag and saw it myself. 1t was white
flag with small black stripe through
the center, but at short distance away
it seemed perfectly white; that flag is
now in the possession OF Col. Blake,
the brave American soldier who conf
mands the Irish brigade, which is COM
posed almost entirely Of Irisll-Ameri-
cans, and no Drawer men are in the
Boer army, said Gen. Joubert to me.
Mr. Davis described the storming OF
Spion's kop by the Beers, after the
British had occupied it, and his own
visit to the battlefield seven days later.
"When the fight began he said, "a
giant Bocr, in the prime OF strength and
manhood, was seen carrying a small!
Boer flag; in short time he fell to rise
no more. Then the old wlte-haired
veteran picked up the fallen banner
and, waving it, urged his comrades on.
With flowing hair and flashing eyes the
old man rushed on, but suddenly she'll
laid him low; ere the little flag touched
the ground, however, a barcfooted lad,
only thirteen years OF age, who had
been fighting in his shirtsleeves, leaped
like panther to the old mans side and,
snatclling the flag from his grand
fathers nerveless hand, raised it aloft
and pushed on. A mighty shout arose
from the Beers as they saw that gallant
deed, and with renewed courage they
made fearful charge; following the
flag they rushed like an avalanche over
the British trenches and Spion's kop
was won."
Gen. Burgers, the Boer commander,
had made repeated attempts to secure
cessation OF artillery fire that the dead
might be buried, but for several days
without success. Finally Gen. Butler
accepted the Boer proposal to bury the
British dead and offered to pay the bill.
"Gen. Burgers regarded this reply as
an insult" Mr.. Davis asserted, "but,
nevertheless, concluded to bury the
British dead. Then I visited the top OF
Spion's kop and saw there the most hor-
rible sight that could be imagined.
Upon every hand were helmets, belts,
canteens, bayonets and wearing apparel
| scattered about covered with clotted
blood. We saw feet and hands protrud-
ing through the ground, all swollen and
skin burst asunder, while the rest of the
body was covered with thin coating
of earth. The explanation was that
| these poor British soldiers had been