The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-04-12
CHAMP C[ARk'S LETTER
McKinley's Attitude To-
ward the Beers.
A SHAME AND A DISGRACE.
Administration Hostile to Cause
of Human Liberty.

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ENGLAND's CLAIMS RECOGNIZED.
Ours the First Government to Ac.
knowledge Death Of Republics.
They still Live and Are Fighting
For Freedom-Hay Defers to Eng
land Ad Nauseam-Even Republic
an stomachs Revolt at the Dose.
Most Useful Diplomat ut Wnshing-
ton-Mark Hanna as . Presidential
Possibility-Foraker shelved.
Especial Warrington letter.
To future students of our history the
most mystifying phenomenon Of our
times will undoubtedly be the attitude
Of the Mckinley administration touch
ing the British Boer contest. 1t is a
shame and disgrace to Americans
and American institutions. Every man
who voted for Mckinley and Roosevelt
last November is particeps criminis, for
nobody with two ideas above Hotten-
tot could mistake the administrators
hostility to the cause Of the Beers, and
therefore to the cause Of human liter-
ty, ever since the inception Of that as
founding struggle. Nevertheless it Is
true that three fourths of those who
voted for Mckinley and ninety-nine-
hundredths Of those who voted against
him are Jealous friends of the Beers
and wish for them successful termi-
nation to the most heroic fight made
for liberty since the world began. That
is strong and sweeping assertion, but
it is written down here deliberately
When the fearful odds are counted, no
other people ever made fight equal to
the Beers.
All along the American people, al
most without regard to party affilia-
lions, have sympathized with them,
all except the administration, which
has looked on with the stolidness of
red Indian while the British butchered
men, women and children struggling
for the same principles for which our
fathers fought. In every way the Nc
Kinley administration has shown its
bias for England for the great king
dom strangling and numbering two
tiny republics, and yet the people-God
forgive them-who were opposed, bit
terly opposed, to the Administrations
policy in that regard. deliberately vot-
ed to continue that administration in
power for four years more. Now
comes the cap sheaf in this Infamous
business. The United States govern
ment-i. e.. it's executive branch-is
the first among nations to recognize
England's triumph and to proclaim the
extinction of the heroic South African
republics! That, too. while Botha Is
still in the field, De Wet winning vic
tories and new levies hurried from
Britain to South Africa! Certainly
our cup of humiliation is full to run
ming over. If Messrs. Mckinley and
Hay are so thoroughly stuck on john
ME Bull they might at least have acted
with some decency while Liberty lies
bleeding on the other side Of the globe.
Their eagerness to let the world know
that they are enamored Of j. B. Is
about as indecent performance as If
a widower should take unto himself
second wife while on the return trip
from burying his first. The fashion in
this country hath been the fashion Of
liberty. The fashion being foisted on
the South African patriots at the point
Of the bayonet is the fashion Of des-
potism. In speaking Of changing
styles Of fashions. Alexander Pope
says:
Be not the first by whom the new II try'd
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.
smacks Of Ghoulish Glee.
The first line Of that famous couplet
I commend most cordially to Colonel
John Hay, secretary Of state, and to his
White House chief. Instead of being
the first to recognize the death of a re-
public we should be the last, and then
only on overwhelming proof as to the
fact. We should at least wait till the
republic is dead.
This precipitate action Of the admin
istration smacks of ghoulish glee. Is
there any rational explanation for this
amazing conduct, SO contrary to all
1 our history and to the desires Of the
great body Of the people7 There is
one, only one zone which self respect
ing Americans have hitherto rejected
with pride and scorn-and that is the
theory proclaimed by the London pa
pers that we negotiated the treaty Of
Paris under the protecting muzzles Of
English guns! II that Is true. what a