Daily camera. [volume] (Boulder, Colo.) 1891-1928, 1900-02-17

for war. Troops in large numbers are dispatch
ed to South Africa as though conflict were
impending Against this the Beers protest IN
vain, they offer concession after concession, de
claring that they will give 'All, all, all, except
the freedom of our country"
Their grave forebodingspt the imperial policy
have now ripened into fact Chamberlain openly
makes his arrogant assertion of paramountcy IN
South Africa. The terrible forces OF the
mghtiest empire on earth must be sent down to
hurl shot and shell against a people willing to
give all except their freedom There must
cease to be in South Africa any collection of
people which does not recognize the suzerainty
of the British crown. One power and one only
is to be supreme in that dark continent.
And now the English statesmen are searching
for justification for this war which they have
forced upon the liberty loving republic OF the
Beers But her statesmen can find no just
principle on which to base this unrighteous act.
True, there is an ethical principle which says
that civilized nations may invade unclvized
territories to advance their civilization. 1t is
upon this principle that the American Justhes
his Investment of the Indian who trst occupied
this fair land Upon thisprnciple England has
made herself mistress of India and Australia
Upon this same principle the British ministers
are seeking to Justify this Immoral war agains,
the people of the Transvaa But there that
principle will not apply. lHE boER CANNOT
BE CLASSIFIED AMONG TIE UNCIVlLlZED. lie
has republican government, well organized
and administered with integrity, complete sys-
tenn of courts. an educ ational foundation,
church in which he devoutly worshlps a CHRIS
tan God.
Failing to Justify the war on this principle the
English ministers contend that they must relieve
the complaints of their subjects. vi all these
grievances OF the Utlanders, one is paramount
that of the elective franchise. He insists that
since he FORMS majority of the population and
owns a controlling interest in the gold mines, he
should be given an equal voice IN the affairs OF
the government The Boer replies that the
country is his own that he bought it from the
natives, tina, he carved it out of dark Africa
that he sought ii primarily for his home that he
has right to govern it as he pleases so long as
he keeps within the bounds of humanity. He
claims the right to prevent whomsoever ne
chooses from entering his country and appropr-
ating its wealth. He knows that through super
ior numbers the Uitlanders, if enfranchlsed, will
soon control his government, absorb his instltu-
TONS stamp out his traditions. Danish forever
his tongue, and hand over his republic to the
hated English. He would gladly trek again.
but no more lands remain to be transformed
from wild waste into home. Hemmed in on
all sides, he is forced upon the horns OF an APP
pallrng dilemma. If he accede to the British
demands and grant the franchise to the Oltana
er, his country is lost; II he refuse the of''ish
demands he must face the British steel IN
seemingly homeless conflict. In either event
,b. Roer IS doomed to an accursed destiny; his
nationality must perish; his country must be lost
he himself must disappear. The ssak must
succumb TO the strong, merely because they are :
weak.
To the Boer sense of true manhood there is
but one choice open and this lies along the path
of honor, patriotism andIcourage. Iothe aston
ishment of the entire world he has determined
To meet the British bavonet and fall before its
bloodstained thrust rather than allow his country
IN he lost undefended And has he not already
indicated his claim to independence by the
gallant stand he has taken? A stand which has
compelled world power to send its best armies
to the front only to meet with ngorious defeats
The Boer will fight until there is not "kopJe
in all the Transvaal without its stain OF blood;
England can win no victory over such race,
she can only achieve a cruel slaughter. 10
some it may seem most uneven struggle. oh
the one side is arrayed all the power and might
Of an empire; on the other the small forces at
the command of young republic But while
on the one side leads the spirit OF imperialism,
aggression. ACKNOWLEDGMENT, on the other beats
the fervent pulse of true patriotism, burning al
most into madness, leading heroes into the very
fire of death.
When the history Of Dur time is written shall
it be said that we Americans, who pride our
selves upon the lofty sentiment that all men
have right to be free, Americans who represent
before all the world the highest ideal type of
democracy, that we refused to open our hearts
in sympathy to a people struggling to ward OFT
that very woke which b kind Providence took
from us hundred years ago; shall it be said
that we who engaged IN costly and bloody war
to free an UNCIvILIzEp Cuba, kept our silence
when the British imperial power crushed the
very life:blood of patriotism out of this Repub-
lie? Because we have enjoyed it so long, have
we forgotten the price that was paid for our own
heritage of freedom? Nay, may we never for
get, NAV we never cease to bow down in admir-
alton and praise before the spirit which gave