New-York tribune., 1901-01-07
supply are becoming far less prolific than of
yore.
A BOER APPEAL.

One Of the most interesting contributions to
the British-Boer controversy has recently been
made by a typical and representative Boer.
This is Mr.. Paul NJ Botha, who, like Mr..
Krtiger. is one of the surviving veterans of the
Great Trek and who in late years was a lead
ing member of the Legislature of the Orange
Free State. His utterance is an appeal From
Boer to Boer and Englishman," and it is marked
throughout with impartiality and practical COM
mon sense.
There is sparing of the British Govern
ment. Mr.. Botha arraigns it strenuously for
alternately blowing hot and cold. One day it
declared the Orange State was and must ever
remain British territory and the next it cast it
off and abandoned it. One day it said, THE
'rivers will sooner run back in their course
than England will give up the Transvaal," and
the next day it gave up the Transvaal and de-
clared it had been unjust in annexing it. When
it annexed the Transvaal it failed to keep it's
promises and thus gave Mr. KRUGER his pretext
for the rebellion of twenty years ago. And
when it met with little ,mishap at Maiuba it
granted retrocession in a panic, and thus eX-
asperated and alienated its own supporters and
brought itself into contempt.
Nor is there any sparing of the Beers, or,
rather, of Mr.. Kriger and his followers. Mr..
Botha thinks that Europe, six thousand miles
away, must have been blinded by some veil of
false romance or duped by Kriiger myth. Mr..
KRUGER. as he sees him, he declares to be an
avarlcious unscrupulous and hypocritical man,
who used the Transvaal as a milch COW for
himself and his family and sacrificed an entire
people to his cupidty. Those are harsh words
of Mr. Botha's, which disinterested observers
may prefer TO let stand upon his authority
rather than accept them as their own judgment.
ofy,l, cto
the high minded and progressive President
Burgers, which drove him into broken hearted
resignation and exile, and the trickery by which
the brave and generous General Joubert was
used as a stalking horse and then jockeyed out
of the Presidency, can scarcely be regarded as
pleasant reading.
Mr. Botha's object in this utterance is not,
however, invective or recrimination. His most
earnest words are an appeal to both sides in
the quarrel. He asks Great Britain to assume
responsibility where she Is exercising power, TO
adopt and to maintain consistent policy, and
TO send TO South Africa statesmen who will
make it their business to understand the peo-
pie and to administer affairs according to a
South African point OF view-men of the type
Of Sir Alfred Milner. He asks his fellow Beers,
too, TO recognize the facts of the situation-that
they can no more get rid of the British than
the British can get rid or them. we must get
rid he says "of the idea OF one nation pre-
''ponderating In South Africa to the exclusion
"of the other''-the ruling idea, that is to say,
of the Afrikander Bond. I'VE have fought" he
adds, "for the maggot in the brains of a few
''unscrupulous politicians and now we can sur
render with honor, because have fought
"gallantly" That last declaration is surely not
TO be disputed and equally true is ii, we may
hope, that as Mr.. Botha says. a just and firm
government, with uniformity of treatment. will
control and satisfy the Beers and will eradicate
in time that feeling of distrust and fear which
was engendered in their minds by the halting
and unequal policy of England in the past II
will be we'll for both races If they follow this
veteran Beers advice-"shake hands. and let
bygones be bygones."