New-York tribune., 1901-11-24
BOERS AND BLACK MEN.
BURG SAYS OF TREATMENT
OF NATIVES.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Your editorial of August 4. headed Boers
and Black Men is so extremely unjust 10 the
Boer that I take the liberty Of calling your atten-
ton to some of the erroneous statements you have
made believing that five years residence ir-
johannesburg entities to speak with some au-
thority You state: The Boer looks upon the
negro or any containing trace Of negro blood
to the third generation as chattel or brute
with no soul and no rights which z wh'te man Is
bound to respect"
Let how this agrees with their mission
work. The second largest communion, which num-
bers over ten thousand. and to which the Presi-
dent belongs has distinctly enumerated the prin-
cinle that II is the duty Of the Church of Christ
TO preach the Gospel TO the heathen: and In the
laws of the largest Church in the republic the
United Reformed, numbering upward OF thirtV
thousand, the following articles occur:
whose Object snail be to awaken interest in the
work, and ask the prayers, the gfts anu tne CO.
10 i28 Il is desirable that mission congrega-
tions be established in connection with tne ChurCn @
No. 135. All consistories are earnestly iecoLi-
mended to arrange for annual contributors f oI evan
seIists that work FOR this Church The mission
work at Wakkersstroom is In charge & OF a com com.
eight hundred Zulus have been baptized, mostly by
gyangsts by 'e fsoG eVant Hs has
a son missionary OF the Dutch Church of the
scene Of his charge local Beers provided evan
geiss and paid their salaries s. and their frioa ss9n S
cousin of the Hon. j. H. Hofmeyr, the Afrikander
statesman.
To the ordinary observer the above facts and
your statement do not seem to agree; in fact. it
is evident that the Beers do think the negro has
soul
The question of his rights comes next. for you
state: 1T a fundamental principle Of the
Transvaal that negro should ever be admitted
70 civil or religious equality with white men,
This is true in the letter but not in the spirit
The "grondwet," or Transvaal constitution. did
contain such law. but a matter of fact the
natives were allowed to have their own church
and missionaries and did have them. already
set forth; and Johannesburg it quite n
common thing Sundays TO see our house boys
and other Kaffirs on their way TO attend service
or Sunday school The religious equality of the
natives therefore. par with that which
we concede to our negroes in the United
States who have their separate Sunday schools
end churches. The civil rights of the Transvaal
natives were being improved, and may be regarded
as IA ling but little If all. short of those of
own negroes in the Southern states, where the
ther State: ':The ordinances of the Church, such
baptism and marriage. We're strictly deied & OdS 70
but not since for then a law was passed lesalizing
providine for the administration of their estates
The same as for those OF white men, Hence to-
Gay s1 YOU say: ut yvas officially declared that
was 1ne mot an afrocious or disgraceful crime but
nothing more than IN minor n,saeneanop me
This is msstateInent or TACT because tne same
Transvaal laws govern both white and black men
recar rGl
hem sentenced long terms of Imprisonment for
killing natives although believe there is no rec
- ,f their having been hanged for this crime.
That this is as it should be. any fair minded
man will admit: STILL the punishment is sulcient to
disnroye your statement that from the Boer
nnpt of view this general slaughter of negroes Is
ppotbfnrr bIameworthy.' 1t must be remembered
that the Beers had much the same conflicts with with
tie u fir tribes In the Transvaal as the early
Enplish snd Dutch settlers had with the red
indians in America The Weenan massacre In
Nztai where the natives murdered men. women
and children (after assaulting the w9men). and
cther occurrences of this kind, would hardly tend
~ make any white race, Boer, Briton or American
feel like admitting the finally subjugated race to
generations after the conquest of the blacks; put
That the Roers have been sufficiently broad minded
70 40 What / have already pointed out they have
done toward giving civil and religious rights 10
the black people who used TO murder their wives
and children when they got the chance, puts them
least on an eauallIy VIII .p SEW
tribes of America And WREN we renect thai To-
dav the red man, the original owner of the SOIL Is
without q vote. and the negro IN the SoutA a