The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-04-11
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
The British Conditions of Peace
Offered the Beers Why They
Were Rejected.

oHefed the Beers Why The,
Were Rejected.
Mr.. Chas. d. Pierce, consul gen
cral OF the Orange Flcc State ant
treasurer Boer relief fund, writes a,
follows in an appeal to Americans:
The offer of peace proposals by the
BRUSH and their rejection by the
boers, opens up new period in the
struggle III South Africa. In again
appealing TO tho American people
therefore, to make their voice heard
ana exercise their undoubted and &C.
knowledgcd influence in the affairs of
the English-speaking world, it is con.
sldcrcd desirable to lay before them
the lntents and purposes of the peace
propositions which the Boer leaders
saw ht to reject, in order that they
may Judge lmparlially and give their
verdict on the side of right and Justice.
Io this end it will be necessary to con-
slider the propositions in detail as they
were put forward by Lord Kitchener,
commanding the British army, and SIR
Alfred Milner, British high commls-
sioncr, in South Africa.
In the fist place it is to be noticed
that the ovcrtures for peace came from
the British through the intermcd diary
OF the wife of the Bocr c0lnmantlanl-
general, Louis Botha; this is sign.
licant fact. 1t is also to be noted that
Gen. Botha always spoke in the name
OF his government, while the British
colonial secretary, MI. Joseph Cham
berlain, endcavorcd TO- draw hlm into a
false position by making the question
at issue personal one bctwccn the
British and the Boer general.
Lord Kitchener, at the meeting with
Gen. Botha, declined to consider the
question of the independence of the
Republics. This was quite natural, as
the war has proved to be one way gcd
solely for their destruction. MIR.
Arthur Balfour's speech at the out.
break Of the war, in which he spoke
of "the insolcnt Republics" and Lord
Sallsbury's refusal 20 allow " a shred
of Independence" cannot be forgotten
The military administration Is, after
the war, to be replaced by that of {
Crown colony, that is to say, taxation
without representation. After an in
definite period, this again to be sue
cceded by representative government
Amnesty to be given in the Trans
vaal and Orange Free State for al
| bona-iidc acts of war during the hosti
litics. In so far as this is not non
sense, it is suggestive of bad faith
When the war broke out the Orange
Free State was politically and legally
constituted and recognized free and in.
dependent State, and it was the only
State in whose relations with the South
African Republic the British govern
mcnt expressly and uncquivocally dis
claimed the right or power to in tcrfere.
BY the convention of 1884 the then
British government reserved no other
right over the South African Republic
except that of revision of its treaties
with foreign governments always cx-
cepting the Orange Free Statc) during
the six months following their con.
cluslon. The belligcrcnt rights of the
two republics were recognized by the
British government when it communi
Gated It's being in state of war witt
them TO foreign governments; these
rights cannot now be withdrawn b,
such subterfugc, unless Gen. Bothi
had accepted this amnesty condition.
The offer to respect land, churcl
property, trust funds. and orphan
funds, was supcrfluous. Tohave dom
otherwise would have been naket
piracy. The permission to have tn,
Dutch and English languages taught il
the schools and employed in The Law
courts was offered simply as piece 0
political expedicncy.
! The offer to give assistance to farm
ers to rebuild and rcstock their build
ings and farms was subject to llmita
tions making it of little value. Th,
| commission to inquire into the circum
stances Of the destruction of building
and stock, appointed as it would hay,
by men in whom the Beers can hav,
no confidence, would have been opcl
to suspicion from the beginning, ant
would have repolled high minded mcr
from seeking relief at its hands. The
sum offered, also, was dcrisory-&5,
600 900.
The condition permitting arms to b'
retained under license Tor dcfenc,
against natives and wild beasts, re
quires no comment. The recognition
of the legal debts Of the two republic
also needs no comment. 1t is onl
following the custom of civilized gov
ernments.
The next and last conditions wer
the really serious ones. The givin
Of the franchise to the Kaflirs aftt
the establishment of representatiy
government is proposition bearin
all the marks of the sinister innuent
of Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain. 1t ha
never been even broachcd IN the di
cussions that preceded the war, at
could only have been put forward f
the purpose of humiliating the Bocr
and swamping the Dutch element
means of "loYal" natives, trained
tho English language. 1t would al
have served another purpose. ri
certainty that representative cover
ment would bring with it the natl
vote, would lead many Dutch to pr
fer the continuance Of Grown color
! government---.thc very thing Mr.. Char
: berlalD and the present British COVER
t ment is aiming at. In that way tho
y disfranchisemcnt would be indefinite
n | nrolonpnd