The Irish standard., 1901-11-16

We are now in the third year of the
war brought Oh by Mr.. Chamberlain
and city financiers in South Africa. 1t
has already cost us in money double
the expenditure of the Crimean war.
and more than the 92OO,OO0,OOO paid as
the war indemnity by France to Ger
many. 1t has been one long series Of
British defeats and British surrenders,
with very few exceptions. After two
years where are we? In verse posi-
ton than when we jauntily set forth
on this gruesome "picnic," in which the
wine to be drunk was blood. says Rey-
no1ds' Newspaper.
The Transvaal Republic and the
Orange Free State are still uncon-
quered. We hold nothing of them cx-
cept where our army stands, although
eighteen months ago this feeble and
cowardly government tried to befool
the people by "annexing" the republics.
Their armies had been defeated SO Of
ten that for party reasons, it was nee
essary to do something. So they issued
a proclamation. That is their favorite
method of warfare, to which, as in the
case of the September proclamation,
the Beers replied by infiicting four con-
siderable defeats ON the British.
And now, at the beginning of the
third year of the war, in addition to
not having subdued the Boer republics,
the government of rich men have to
admit that the revolution which they
fomented in Cape Colony has become
so serious that the colony has ceased
to exist, and has been taken over to
be administered by the military.
Glorious results of government by
Tories, jingoes. and rich men! We
went to steal the country of two brave
little nations, and we have just lost
one of our own. 1t would not be sur
prising if we lose Natal also.
Thus British imperialism leads dl-
rectly ito tyranny and the suppression
Of freedom. No liberty amy longer ex-
lists in what was once Cape Colony.
To speak or write freely is absolutely
forbidden, under pain of martial law,
which is NO law. That territory is be-
ing ruled by despotism, as the taxes
are being levied without authority, and
the power of the Cape Colony parlia-
ment abolished.
Into what deeper quagmire is this
infamous government to be allowed to
lead the now despairng country? It
is seen that the war must go ON for an
other year unless we guarantee home
rule to the republics. And so fearful
is the condition of affairs in the re-
volted colony that the "Butcher" has
drawn a veil over the proceedings
there, as he did over the shambles in
the Soudan. So little spirit is left in
England that half dozen rich men in
the cabinet are permitted ito conceal
from the nation the daily disasters to
our arms in South Africa.
The end cannot be far off. A great
financial crisis lis pending as result Of
the disturbance of trade caused by the
war. 1t will bring ruin in it's train to
many thousands. City financiers are
waiting, trembling for the storm to
burst out. Our exports ana Imports
during September showed falling off
of about G5,6OO,OOO, or from eight to
ten times more than during amy pre-
ceding month of the year. This is the
beginning of the 'tslump' in trade, as
to the coming of which we have fire.
quently warmed our readers. Our trade
/ is slipping away to better educated
nations-nations not wholly given over
to gambling, drinking, and footballing,
like our own.
The South African policy of the gov
ernment of rich men has tied our hands
all over the world. We have been
obliged to play second fiddle to the
other powers in China, where once we
alone dominated, and so contemptuous
were the other powers of British gen.
eralship that a German was appointed
to command the allied troops. In Af-
ghanistan, owing to the death of the