Washington sentinel., 1901-04-20
III -, SENTINEL
TransvaaItsaHard Road to Travel.

has reopened negotiations with ths
British with the view OF ending the
war in South Africa. Ii is alleged
in this dispatch that General DE
Wet, who is in favor Of continuing
the war, is mentally irresponsi'
Bile" and that General Botha is
prepared to renew the negotiations
for peace regardless OF General DE
Vets opposition. Last month
General Botha met General Kitch-
ener, the British commander, but
the terms which the latter offered
were not acceptable to the Dutch
commander, and negotiations were
broken off. Whether the British
are prepared TO make peace now
on the same terms which Lord
Kitchener proposed remains to be
seen. Since General Botha declined
these terms the British heart seems
to have hardened, and in Parlia
ment and in the press a disposition
has been manifested to impose
bumiliating conditions upon the
Beers.
The Sa1HIGaY RcgiezV OF LONDON
is one Of those extreme English
journals of the stern and unbend.
ing Tory type which believe in
giving no terms to the Beers ex.
cept such as the most implacable
conqueror might dictate. 1t was,
therefore, highly pleased at the re-
tusal Of the burghers to accept the
conditions recently proposed by
the British Government. The re-
lection OF those terms will, in the
estimation ofthe SATURDAY ReUle1V,
enable Lord Salisbury and Mr..
Chamberlain, when the Beers 6u-
ally yield, to impose harsher con-
ditions in the interest Of civil "a
tion and a lasting peace"
II Is plain, from the tone which
this organ Of British Toryism
adopts, that England is exaspcr-
ated at the prolonged and stubborn
resista nee which the little repub-
lies have made. According to the
Saturday Re5iCzU the Beers were
really whipped nearly a year ago,
but have rot had sufficient iudg-
ment to appreciate their condition.
Owing to the fact that the Boer
States" observes the RlViclg, had
little Of the ordinary industrial and
social organization Of civilized
powers, losses which would have
hopelessly crippled an ordinary
nation have had no other effect
than to convert the surviving male
population into guerrilla bands.
These circumstance have made
the military operations in South
Africa infinitely more costly and
arduous than they would have been
il directed against a civilized
enemy, and, indeed, than they
need have been ifthe ignorance OF
the Beers had not prevented them
from realizing that the very condi-
tions which made this prolonged
resistance possible we're conditions
which made the ultimate extinc
ton Oi their national existence in
evitable."
The SakuydnY Rlyi,zy seems to
have forgotten the fact that I2S
years ago the American colonies,
which had little OF the industrial
organization OF civilized powers"
colonies inhabited mainly by
planters brought England to her
knees and won independence by
refusing to admit, even in the dark
est hour Of the conflict, that they
were whipped, It was their deter
mination TO be free OF English
domination at an!' cost that kept
them in the field after they had
been "subjugated" according to
English notions. The guerrilla
warfare which was waged during
the American revolution was prob
ably as eXasperating to English
men Of that period as Boer tactics
have proved to Englishmen OF the
present day. But the American
guerullas prepared the way for the
series Of victories which culmin-
ated at the surrender Of Yorktown.
The odds may be too great for the
Beers, but they certainly deserved
success.
Il is interesting to observe the
airs OF Anglo Saxon superiority
which the Re0ie5y puts on IN hold |
ing the Beers up to scorn. The |
BOer," says our London contem- |
porarY, is a foe with whom it is |
impossible to make peace upon |
any basis Of mutual concession.
His ignorance and his long re-
moval from cIvilizing influences
make him approximate to the saw
age. So long as he entertains the
slightest hope Of wearying out the
patience and endurance of the
English people he will continue
his senseless and criminal resist
ance, There is but one way to
treat such an enemy-to offer him
no terms now, but to show him
that after twenty years OF success
full resistance the remnant OF the
forces now in arms would be no
better and no worse than they
would be if they surrendered to-
day. The Beers have chosen to
conduct the war in manner which
has entailed the maximum Of loss
and suffering upon England. They
have lost, and have no claim upon
the iorbearance Of the English
people" Il might be inferred from
this plaintive lament that the Re.
ysCzg expected the Beers to make
war in a nice, ladYlike manner,
with generous regard for the lives
and health Of the invaders and with
no intention to make the enemy
spend any oi his precious gold.
Because the Beers have conduct d
the war in a business like way,
killing their foes in fair fight, des-