New-York tribune., 1901-08-04

of distinguishing loyalist from a rebel.
cattle. or human life; and the farmer might
hold the Bond responsible. If too few invaders
came down the taxpayer in England may not pe
cowed: the raiders will not be able to llVe loT7 lI
ever on the loot of loyalists' farms, and VIII
take TO looting their own people For TINS
again. the farmer may hold the Bond respon-
sbe and their political prestige may be I'M
paired at the next elections. Lastly when DE
Wet comes down in force ne will want TO sweep
IN all the men and all the provisions he can lay
hands on, and ne may be quite unsynlpal lheuc
enough to sjambok, if not to shoot. GOOD bona
voters who like their betters, are sitting on the
fence. Now, TO preserve a decent race IN f-hg
land where their ENJOYS go to plead 'Ae case VI
South Africa, the Bend cannot unreserveGly ap-
prove of De Vets actions, though a Bond paper
may extol his hoggng and shooting OF peace
envoys Yet the Bond want their voters souhu
and unperforated for future constitutional con-
tingencies and De Wet is fairly sure to lead red
war all in and out and among the farms, II ne
wins he will not give many pohtlcal nile's "
statesmen be they never so statesnanIlhe' VINO
have merely prepared the way for MS warriors.
If he loses. there will be no compensation IoI
rebels. The new Treason bill runs our IN - iem
months and If the English are not soothed down
the may be confiscaton and heaVy hhes' per
hapS hanging for as innocent ana slmple d re-
be,lion as the Chosen People emparke9
upon This is very sad and complicated and
may lead TO recriminations. Some OF the eK-
tremists OF the Bond are for committing 'hgIl. r
selves now fully 10 the Dutch cause, DE wet
and all; but some of the others are hunting Tor
some sort OF side path that will give them a
chance 10 keep on the ground lever OF lHe gar
lows, within hail Of a seat in the next farna-
ment. II De Wet wins-he is assumed 10 De IN
command of several thousands all lustlnS TOT
real battle and sure OF q welcome among many
more thousands alight with the same desire
the Bond may. Of course, come out hat-footedly
on his side Just at present the aprcots are not
Vet ouite ripe enough But the Bond has un-
shaken faith in the Opposition whose every
word and action are quoted here, and lead 10
more deaths on the veldt. 1t is assumed that
His Majesty's Opposition will save the bond
and South Africa for the Bond. If only the COM
mandoes make the war expensive.
That latter note has been set during the last
few weeks at Jagersfontein Che story Of which
evacuation is interesting) and on the OUTSKIRTS
of Johannesburg, where mines end electric lght
have been damaged. We shall Trobaty learn
later of an attack the far-away Namaqua
copper mines. 1t is easy enough to say that
this is the work of mere marauders, but north
and south they working for a common OBJ
ject-the manufacture Of pro-Boers in England
by doubling the income tax. IL is no small part
OF the Bonds policy-they are thorough, as we
are MOTTO throw delicate gloom over every
aspect OF the situation Their friends and their
agents return from London. where they 90 occd-
sionally dine with the Liberal leaders. and pro-
pound terms asserting that the English are al
ready sick OF the job. and that no power on
earth can save the empire II another forty
thousand Dutchmen rise. That the empire mas
more than once dedicated itself TO seeing the
work through is a detail The Bond, remember
ing Majuba, thinks that when a man or peo-
pie has lied for twenty years. II will be some
time before friends, and still longer before enc
niles, believe in any abiding reformation on lhe
part Of that man or that nation. But the Bond
has forgotten that 1t deals to-day with the en-
pire. which is not altogether England
The game Of constitutional government
strengthens their hands very firmly. The pres.
eut Ministry has of course, followed the highest
traditions of English politics. 1t has been
brought up with, dimes nd teas with the Oppo.
sition and naturally does not look much beyond
the next election. Now Smijtt. ex-minister. may
be less than One-eighth OF one degree removed
from malignant and peculiarly unscrupulous
rebel. Van Djones has knack, we viii say, OF
raising red every time he visits his Olsen
franchsed but we'll armed constituency; Whlle
Robnschoen in his hours Of ease speaks OF the
enemy. to whom ne is related by ties of mar
riage, we" and forwards letters to host
OF paroled friends scattered about the border
towns 1t is annoying: il is very annoying; II
initiates against speedy settlement and re
turn to family politics; but Mrs Smijtt
Is rather nice. and ones wife discusses cooking
with Mrs Van DJones, whose cousin, no" III
Ceylon, is godfather to ones nieces second
child, and no dinner party is complete without
RCbinschOen's delightful Dutch anecdotes.
How, tEcn, can respectable, tea drinking MIN
istry draw down upon these nice FOLK the IN
decent rigors Of martial law. This sounds trivial
and vulgar enough. Perhaps IL reads better TO
write that the Ministry are not Justihed IN EN-
ploying martial law to oppress their political
opponents" and through every relation or
the easy intimate delightful Cape Town life
at coffee the stOep, at the morning
ride. or in casual neighborly talk across the
garden fence the cohorts OF Smi1tt. Van DJones
and Robinschoen skirmish in support OF the
commandos They cannot fight but they can
put useful pressure on loyal Brown. who let us
say, is a minister. Their common ground (even
Brown may ht forgiven for Joining them here
is the eccentricities Of the imperial arms Smittt
describes with curious detail the sorrows Of a
militia regiment toiling afoot up Africa in the
wake Of handful of deeply amused light horse.
He knows that stretch OF countrY-they all
know it-had shot buck there together years
ago He puts II to Brown as a fellow sports
man: Politics apart. old man. do you honestly
think that ten thirty thousand acres of that
ghastly high veldt is worth one of the poor boys
coming into hospital now?" And such nice
boys too," says Mrs. Smi1tt tenderly Brown
cannot deny that that country is pretty much
of a waste: that the Wynberg hospitals are full
and that the game does not seem to get any
forrader Smiitt SAYS: "Ahr" and CONVEYS tho
impression that he and Brown are ONLY sen
arated from each others political arms by the
immense stupidity OF Downing Street" which
through laxity has plunged the land in blood
Brown is no match dialectically for the suave
Smfitt full of facts delivering prophecies that
have an odd knack Of fulfilling themselves forty
eight hours later. IL is easy enough for thosa
free from responsibility who. from distance
TO say that Brown is an ass for taking aany
notice of these things But. remember Brown
has known Smijtt for a generation; has cut in
and out of COSBY little ministries with or
against him, since railways were new in the
land Brown is dragged at the heels Of a stua-
honor and honesty; but he is only human He
goes forth from these councils with a face as
long as a cavalry stirrup feather-depressed and
foreboding That is all Smijtt needs for the
present-that Brown shall think and doubt, and
doubling, temporize even more than his natural
disposition will lead him to. Srnijtt VIII repeat
the treatment next time they meet
Van Djones's work is easier but perhaps
more artistic. The Bond knows that a devei-
oped Africa-say a land only fifty years behind
Canada or Australis-would siay its whole
precious organization as surely Us the self