Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-02-08

! our grievances. Alter tOIb anu Cdlclui
examination, the Commission unequivo-
cably acknowledged the validity of the
charges made against the Government,
and strongly recommended that these
grievances be redreSsed. Despite this
nothing was done. The interests of the
clique controlling the Government pre-.
vented the realization of the hopes of re-
form based on the report Of the Boer
Commission. Things now went from bad
to worse. Time and again the Uitlanders
appealed to the Boer Government, but
without avail. Finally last spring a pc
ttion signed by 81 600 British subjects was
forwarded to the British Government.
The result was the conference between
President Kruger and Sir Alfred Miner,
IN which the latter took the ground that
all questions could best be settled by a
concession on the part of the South Afric-
an Republic of the right of franchise to
the Uitlander population. The impress
sion prevails that the conference failed on
account Of the difference of the number Of
years residence necessary to gain a fran
chise. This s a mistake. the most impor-
tant point was the basis of representation.
Under the scheme suggested by Mr., Kru-
ger majority of the voters would Lave
been entitled to less than fifth of Volks-
raad representatives.
A few months afterwards an ultimatnn
from the Boer Government was the I'M
mediate cause of the present war. In
this war greater issue is involved than
the unredressed grievances of the Uit'
landers. For many years the Beers have
been animated by steadfast but secret
ambition-namely, to establish Boer su-
premacy throughout South Africa. There
has been a quiet arming for that purpose,
and foreign soldiers have been secretly
employed to teach the Beers the use Of
artillery. The Boer Government has
purchased sufficient muntion to arm ey.
cry Dutchman in South Africa. The ex
cuse that the jameson raid made this nee
cessary does not hold, as the arming and
plans for Notifications at Pretoria and Jo-
hannesburg antedated that raid by sever
al years.
Two-thirds of the Trsnsvaal population
were Uitlanders. We went thither by ex-
press invitation; our capital and enterprise
developed what in Boer hands was a
worthless territory into the greatest min
ing center of the world; the country, now
rich, was bankrupt before our arrival; we
own more than half the land, having pur-
chased it from the Beers; we paid nine
tenths of the taxes, much of which was
admitted by the Boer Commission to be
class taxation; and yet we had to submit
TO unlawful expenditure Of the bulk of tax
alton, as we had no voice in the Govern.
ment.
We objected to the subversion of the
High Court of Justice, in which rested our
only hope Of legal redress. In direct con-
travention of the Grondwet (the Boer Con-
stitution), the Volksraad empowered the
President and Executive Council to dis
miss any judge without trial who disputed
the validity of any law passed by the
| Volksraad, even when such law conflicted
with the Grondwet. President Kruger
exercised this privilege in summarily re-
moving Chief Justice Kotze, who had for
many years honestly and ably filled that
office. Afterwards all the judges were
simply the Presidents tools.
We objected to the jury system; We were
debarred from proper trial, as the law
makes only burghers eligible for jury duty.
Court records thus prove that very small
percentage of Beers are found guilty, and
a very large percentage of Uitlanders are
convicted. Nor was any Boer jury ever
known to convict BOer who had murder
ed native.
We objected to the Aliens Expulsion
Act, by which Uitlander can be put over
the border at the will of the President,
without the right of appeal 10 court of
justice-a course open to the offending
burgher. This law was obviously opposed
to the British. Boer Convention of 1884.
We objected to the prohibition of free
speech; TO the power vested in the Presl-
dent Of suppressing any publication which,
in bis individual opinion, was opposed to
good manners or subversive of order. He
did not hesitate to exercise this desp9tic
power toward newspapers which supported
British interests, while newspapers which
supported the 3oer Government were al
lowed to publish libelous articles and even
to advocate atrocous crimes without inter
| ference.
We objected to the dishonesty and in
efficiency of the johannesburg police force
For the shooting of British subject a
policeman was recently released on 81, 900
bail-less than tie amount demanded
from Uitlanders in trivial cases.
We objected to the Public Meetings Act
which left discretionary power in the
hands of policemen to suppress assem-
blages.
We objected to the Johannesburg high
death-rate, owing to the inssnitation which
the community was powerless to prevent
under Boer maladministration
We objected to being taxed to maintain
schools in which Dutch was exclusively
taught. A resolution introduced in the
Volksraad that no English should be al
lowed to be taught even in private schools
was defeated by only one vote.
We objected to the Beers being exclu-
sively allowed to carry firearms.
We Objected TO the non. protection of