The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-06
HE IS WILLING TO ARBITRATE
PROVIDING AN IMPARTIAL TRIBU-
NAL COULD BE SECURED.
British, He Asserts, Are Misrepresent-
ing the True Situation i'm the
EN-RepubIics.

btCh e. iiuCn improved DIV recent opera
tons and he can now dispense with spec
tacies. Sitting in front of a table. with a
Bible under his left hand. Mr.. Kruger de-
livered himself of an important statement,
to which further significance was given by
the presence of the Orange Free State dele
gate. Herr Fischer.
Mr.. Kruger began by announcing that on
Saturday next he proposed retiring into the
country for complete rest. The little VIII
lage of Hilbersum, not far from Utrecht,
has been selected for his abode. Nothing
has yet been decided regarding his trip to
America. Mr.. Kruger will undertake the
journey if his strength permits and If there
is any hope of gaining advantage for the
Boer cause. Pointing to Herr Fischer. the
aged President declared that the two re-
publics were ind~issolubly united. Herr
Fischer he said, lis fighting for the same
cause as my heroic friend, President Steyn.
The two Presidents and the two command
ing generals, Botha and De Wet, will share
the same fate"
On being questioned regarding the re-
lance ne placed on the British official tele-
grams and statements in Parliament. Mr..
Kruger, half rising from his armchair, de-
clared: 1.-THE British government, British
telegraph and British press always try to
make this much'-and he measured his
little f~inger-"look like this much"-and he
extended both arms. 81 am persuaded
everything is going well out there. pre-
cisely because our enemies continue to
dissimulate and travesty facts. As regards
General Botha's negotiations, the public
knows from the blue book and by reading
General Botha's last dispatch that it was
the Ilritirh ponaro Uhn FIRST made nrn-
posals. Never dad the BOer generals re-
fuse TO listen. We do not fight except for
peace. We are not conquerors. but. al
though General Botha listened to the Brit
ish proposals, he never uttered a word of
equivocation on the subject of indepen-
dence. Independence is the only treasure
we cherish. even if we have to sacrifice all
others to have our national independence.
1t is for that reason our citizens forsook
their farms and sacrificed their lives, and
our women and children now suffer tenn
porary servitude in the enemy's camp
WOULD ASSURE PEACE.
and added the President. with still
more emphasis, IF the English were not
blind. if they considered their own inter-
ests well, if they were not hopelessly en-
shaved by error and injustice, they would
recognize the independence we demand.
because in the hope of safeguarding it we
shall be ready to make concessions and sac
rifces. and, moreover, it would assure
peace forever in South Africa"
The subject Of arbitration being next
preached, Mr.. Kruger expressed his entire
readiness to submit all questions to the
arbitrament of an impartial tribunal, not
even excepting the question of fndepend-
ence. I'VE would sacrifice our liberty" be
said, "if the verdict of arbitration decided
that one or the other of the republics had
done anything to forfeit IL. But on that
point We are at ease
Here the Bible was invoked. Mr.. Kruger
reading a passage from Psalms in which
David calls upon the Lord and asks If there
be any spot or blemish In him or whether
he had committed any misdeed-he or his
people. But. like David" he said, I'VE
have known that we are less impure than
our aggressors, and that our cause is holy
and just. Therefore we fear not the judg-
God"
British atrocities was the next tonic of
conversation. Mr.. Kruger readily expatiated
OH the terms of the recent manifesto is
sued by President Steyn and De Wet. Il
nave myself witnessed the brutality with
which the British have waged war against
u.s." he said. ''They have acted like saw
ages, and on their own confession have
been assisted by savages whom they have
armed. They have once more merited the
reproach heaped upon their fathers by old
Chatham at the time of the war of Ameri-
can independence. Our enemies have vio-
lated all the laws of war between civilized
NATIONS. They have outraged liberty with
out regard TO the lives of noncombatants
and pillaged and burned private property.
They have treated as rebels men who were
known to be citizens of the belligerent
country. They have not even spared wom-
en- and children, those sacred beings who
are declared neutral and inviolate by all
international codes. They have slavishly
Initiated the proceedings which excited
universal Indignation when practiced in
Cuba by a Spanish general, for which Spain
was cruelty punished.
HORRORS NOT ALL KNOWN.
II. -
ing the horrors of war as waged by the
English legions is far below the truth.
declare-and history will bear me out
when it ceases TO be falsified-that people
will shudder when they learn the details
of all the atrocities that we have suffered.
The South African war has been, on the
Fart of the English. a perpetual defiance
of the Geneva conference. To a much
greater extent than their refusal to accept
any Intervention is their defiance Of The
Hague convention"
Referring TO General De Vets raid into
Cape Colony. he denied that It was ever
hoped to provoke a general rising. I'VE
knew perfectly well that this would be i'm
possible" he said, because of the lack OF
munitions and arms, as we'll as the diff
Guilty of combined action over such enor-
nous distances. But the invasion demon
a ina Al <iAllhdllltIS NtIt eNGTI-
where favorable TO our cause and ready
to afford help in their power. President
Steyn and General De Wet had, however,
a different object in view and they attained
IT. They were able TO obtain plentiful sup
plies of food and horses. Moreover, these
brave allies operated a diversion, which
allowed General Botha to escape from a
tight position in the east Of the TransvaaI-
They compelled the English to spread their
forces over the enormous distances and 10
recognize the fact that the Beers Were
masters in the field. These results are
surely not TO be despised. The English can
not be masters of the two republics: they
are not even undisturbed at the Cape and
In Natal"
Mr.. Kruger next dealt with the question
of the mines where work is now said to
have been resumed. He declared that so
long as he was master in Pretoria the
mines were safeguarded and work was
continued. 1T is only since British occu-
patton that property has deterforated and
that all work has ceased" he said. Every
body should know that as long as We could
we remained faithful guardians of this
international trust. carrying our scrupies
so far even as 10 respect the mines which
are the cause of all our misfortunes."
In conclusion Mr.. Kruger declared thai
far from being exhausted the Boer com
mandoes were able 10 go on lighting in
definitely. have combatants, arms
and ammunition In sufficient quantities
IL Is useless to hope to reduce us by lassi-
tude or determination"
He ended by expressing thanks TO Provi-
dence for the manifold complications with
which the British empire is now beset at