The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-06

struggle for liberty of those brave farmers
in Africa against the domineering tyrant
which, in every age, in every land for
hundreds Of years, has crushed liberty and
destroyed freedom, viii be interesting and
! tenG 20 remove misrepresentation and
pIeJuulce winch, owing TO misrepresenta-
ions OF the purchased and dishonest
! press of this state, has gained credence
with many honest people, l will review
the situation and the causes of the pres
ent struggle for liberty of these Christian
God-fearing, honest liberty-loving Dutch
farmers in the Dark continent
! The South African republics are very
much like our own state with however
less water, therefore less cultivation, and
more sandy wastes or deserts. Cultiva-
ton is largely by irrigation except on the
river bottoms, the only regions where
timber grows The area of the TransVaal
republic Is 1873 square miles. Population
SS6, 400 whites, 1890 men and 107, 450 wem-
en-, and 101, 600 children, with a. black pop
ulation of 1880. Pretoria, the capital
has population of 5000. Johannesburg
the gold mining center, has population
of 10S,063 1880 men and Is 763 women;
whites, $1,000; Chinese, 1880; blacks, A., 500.
In both republics there are 10000 Jews,
many OF whom are prominently identified
in public enterprises, and to their honor be
1t said are loyal to the republic. Almost
all the people are Professionals Dutch Re
form and Lutheran. Government is a
republic Legislature consists of fifty
four members, equally divided between
the lfSL ana SeCOn0-cldSS DuTSnerS. IKE
cutive authority is vested in the president,
elected for five years, and a cabinet of
four members.
The revenue of the Transvaal is over
$40 000,0 00 This includes the revenue de-
rived from the railroads. telegraph, postal
receipts and sale of explosives.
Inc government OF the Orange Free
State is similar to the TransvsaL Law,
Roman Dutch. Supreme court composed
of three judges and circuit courts.
Education, free, compulsory and uni
VersaL Every man over IS years of age
and under 60 is enrolled in the militia, and
trained to arms
History of the Republics.
Cape Colony was settled in 1853 by Hol-
land farmers, who raised vegetables and
cattle to supply Dutch vessels engaged
In trade with India, Java, and BOrneO.
Emigration rapidly increased from the
mother country and splendid settlements
were made along the coast. In 1iy5 Eng
land, being at war with Holland captured
Cape Town, and held it until 1903. In 1906
England again captured the country, and
in 1914, after the restoration of the mon
archy, paid Holland S30,000,0 600 for it.
The Dutch suffered every indignity I'M
der British rule. The republican form of
government was abolished, all civil offices
were filled by disFepUtable, brokeDdown,
worthless sons Of England. English was
made the official language, and men
charged with Offenses were compelled to
travel long distances to Cape Town to be
tried by foreigners whose language the
victims of sO-called justice could not I'M
derstand, so outTaSeously corrupt and dis
honest had the courts become that George
NJ. Theal in his South Africa says:
1T is not a pleasant admission for an
Elnglishman to mare. but il is the truth,
that 1t would be difficult 10 find in any
part of the world a people with so much
cause TO be discontinued as were the old
inhabitants of Cape Colony for years after
the fall Of the ministry Of the Earl OF
Liverpool"
He further saws: There was subjec-
ton by a foreign and unSympathetic gov
eminent prohibition of their language in
public offices and courts of law. There
were slanderOus statements made by the
philanthrOpic society of England concern
ing them
The subsidized press of this republic,
bought by British gold, is now engaged
IN the same disre0utable business.
In the North American Review, Decem-
ber 1895, a member of the British parlia-
ment, FIR. NJ. p. Brice. heartily con-
CURED in these statements of facts.
To Escape Persecution.
Being unable to stand these indignities
and prosecutions by England longer, they,
in 1886. emfgrated by thousands into what
was then trackless, unknown wilderness.
These hardy, God-fearing people aDan-
doned the homes they had made, and with
all their earthly possessions in their
wagons, wandered to the north, crossing
the Orange. river. They deemed them
selves beyond the dominion of their hated
prosecutors and OppresSOrS.
Here they again built homes for them
selves and children, planted corn and
raised vast herds of cattle. Many of these
eInigrants crossed the range of mountains
and settled near the sea, where the soil
required no irrigation 1t was not long
before the people realized that EnglandS
power was there, and driven by Englands
bayonets, recrossed the mountains and
located on the inhOSpitable plateauS of the
Semi-arid belt.
= The country about Durham, the colony
of Natal, the coast line the Beers had
hoped to make Judgment upon. was
promptly annexed to the empire of Great
Britain. The Beers once more refused TO
live under British laws, went back over
the mountains and once more built homes
between the Orange and Naal rivers, some
crossing the latter and settling in what
is now known as the Transvaal.
Still England persued them, and in 1876
annexed (fOrcibly) the whole country. A
war ensued and these brave liberty-leving
farmers were at BlOemfOntein defeated
by an army of Englishmen. The war con-
tinued until 1852, when England recognized
the Dutch republic as an independent
state.
England in 1854 recognized the inde-
pendence of the Orange Free State. Both
these treaties were confirmed by the cab
met of Lords Derby and Aberdeen.
In 1859 a dispute arose concerning the
boundary line between the Orange free
State and native tribes. England inter-
fered and after some fighting decided in
favor of the Orange Free State, fixing the
boundary line so as TO embrace all the
territory in which the Kimberley diamond
mines are situated.
Proud, the historian, tells the story of
English duphcity, of English cruelty, of
English wrong doing and English treach-
cry.
Duplicity of England
1.-THE ink on the treaty of Aliwal North
was scarcely dry when diamonds were dis
covered in large quantities in a district
rra hrad 1a1r f-nr tod &c a.rf
of the Orange territory. There was a
notion that the finest diamond mines in
the world ought to belong to the English
empire. The Dutch were expelled, yielding
under protest to superior force. and from
that day no BOer in South Africa has Ueen
able to trust to English promise.
Our conduct would have been less in
tOlerable if we had rested simply on su-
periOr strength; If we had told the Beers
simply that we must have the diamond
fields and intended to take them. / had
myself inquired into the details of this
transaction, perhaps the most diScred1t-
able in the annals of English history.
Theat then proceeds to tell the story
further. and says President Brand of
the Free State went to England laid the
case before the British court, and was
told it was necessary to British para
mountey-was given $f50000. There was no
other way"
In 1877 English aggression again went
on, again shot. prosecuted and murdered
liberty. Marching an army into the
Transvaal they declared It British terri
tory. the farmers, scattered over a wide
area, suffered this robber to again rob
them Of their homes Meeting with no re-
sistance, the English officials became in
solent, arrogant and offensive, placing
upon the Beers laws so oppressive that,
unabl to longer suffer they, in 1880 took
up arms, called the farmers together
made prisoners of the English garrison
and in three battles. defeated their OPP
pressors Following these bloody events
came the battle Maiuba Hill. On Feb.