Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-02-22
BOERS ISSUE AN ADDRESS
President Steyn and Commander
Dewet Speak.

The following proclamation was IS
sued by President Steyn and General
De Wet: "Be it known to all men
that the war which has been forced
on the Transvaal republics by the
British government still RACES over
South Africa, that all the customs OF
civilized warfare and also the con-
ventions of Geneva and The Hague
are not observed by the enemy, VINO
have not scrupled, contrary to the
Geneva convention, to capture doc
tors and ambulances and deport them
in order to prevent our wounded
from getting medical assistance; that
they have not hesitated to have re-
course to primitive rules of warfare,
contrary to the solemn agreement OF
The Hague, to arrest neutrals ana
deport them and to send out maraud-
ing bands to plumber, burn and dam
age burghers' property; that they
have around kaffirs and natives ana
used them against us in the war;
that they have been continually cap
turing women and children and old
and sickly men, and that there have
been many deaths among the women
because the so-called Christian enemy
had no consideration for women on
sick bed, or those whose state OF
health should have protected them
against rough treatment. Honorable
women and tender children have not
only been treated roughly, but have
been insulted bv soldiers, by order of
their officers. Moreover, old mothers
and women have been raped, even
wives and children, and the property
of prisoners of war, even killed
burghers, have not been respected.
In many instances the mother and
father have been taken, the house
has been left unprotected and all have
been left to their fate, an easy prey
to savages
",The world mas untruthfully been
informed by the enemy that they
have been obliged to carry out this
destruction, because the burghers
blow up the railway lines, cut the
wires and misuse the white flag. Near
ly all the houses in the republics have
been destroyed, whether in the neigh
borhood of the railroad or not. The
alleged misuse of the white flag is
simply continuance of the everlast-
ing calumny against which Afrikander
has had to strive since the time God
brought him in contact with the Eng
lishman. Robbing his opponents of
goods does not satisfy him; he is not
| satisfied until he has robbed him of
his good name also. ..,.
''They state to the world that the
republics are conquered and that only
here and there small plundering
bands are continuing the strife in an
irresponsible manner. This is an UNI
truth. The republics are not con-
quered. The war is not finished. The
burgher forces of the two republics
are still led by responsible leaders,
as from the commencement of the
war, under the supervision of the gov
eminent OF both republics.
''Thc fact of Lord Roberts and Lord
Kitchener choosing the term 'maur.
auders' in designating burghers does
not make them such. When was the
war over? Perhaps after the battles
in which irregulars captured the
enemy and totally vanquished them?
The burghers would be less than men
ii they allowed the enemy to go I'M
punished after ill-treating their
wives and destroying their houses
from sheer lust of destruction. There
fore. a portion of the burghers resent
it. Cape Colony will not only wage
war, but will be in a position to make
reprisals, as it has already done. In
the case of ambulances, therefore,
we warn the officers of his majesty's
troops that unless they cease the de-
struction of the property of the re-
publics we shall wreak vengeance by
destroying the property of his ma
jesty's subjects who are unkindly dis
posed. But in order to avoid being
misunderstood, we hereby openly de-
clare that their wives and children
will always be unmolested. in spite of
anything done to ours by his ma
iesty's troops. We request nothing
from our brothers in the colony, but
call on them, as well as on the civ
i'ized world, to assist. in behalf of our
joint civilization and Christianity, in
putting an end to the barbarous man
ner of the enemy's warfare. ,-, ...-
"Our prayer will always be that
God. Our Father, will not desert us
in this unrighteous strife. %a f~>
(signed) ''Steyn and De Wet" \
WHERE is sMITH-DORIEN?