Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1901-04-25


students and other Absentees From
Home Cannot Communicate With
Their PeopIe-Lights Out at 1890
p. M.
Miss Elizabeth M. Clark, a Brooklyn
girl, who was educated in Bryn Mawr
college and in European universities
and who now occupies the chair of
%philology and English literature in HUI
guenot college, Wellington, South AZ
RIGA, has written the following letter to
her father, the Rev. William w. Clark,
concerning life under martial law in
Cape Colony:
Long ago the world in general was
Informed that the South African war
was over. Therefore the world in gen.
eral, being on the whole a credulous,
pbedient world, accepted the statement
and turned it's eyes away from Africa
toward India or China. But the Brit
ish-Boer war was not over then, is not
over now and probably will not be set
tied for many a long month to come.
In these days of press cablegrams
and wireless ~telegraphy, when news Of
foreign events reaches people in Amer
AGA with lightning rapidity n some
events, owing to difference of time,
seem to be recorded even before they
occur-in these days it is difficult in
deed to realize that there are people in
South Africa separated by less thar a
thousand miles from other members of
their families who have not heard
from those friends for over a year. Yet
this Is the case In many not isolated in
stances. There are students today in
the boarding schools and colleges Of
Cape Colony who during 10 months
have received no word from their par
ents in the Transvaal or Orange Free
State, students who have no idea and
no means Of ascertaining whether
those parents are living or dead.
This is truly a sad state Of affairs,
but it is not the result of tyranny. It
Is the result Of war, pure and simple.
Martial law as enforced in besieged
towns naturally prevents all communi-
cation with outlying districts, as it pre-
vents all unauthorized travel from or
into those districts, even when not un-
der siege. Martial law is indeed a law
unto itself, but not a tyrannical one
autocratic truly in the sense of being
oOoOA0kOS O0C A0O ooNOS4oI4S ALA kAO
sense Of being unreasonable.
No n thought that martial law
would come into Cape Colony. Let
that statement stand, but let it be &C.
cepted as a slight exaggeration. There
were a few who foretold an uprising of
the Boer sympathizers within the Cape
Colony district, and such an uprising
would necessarily involve the tempo
cary adjustment Of civil authority in
favor Of military government, which is
a longer way Of spelling martial law.
Expected or unexpected martial law
has come into Cape Colony and come
to stay for as long a time as nay be
deemed wise for the purpose of the end
In view. The following official state
ment published in Cape Town Jan. 18,
1901 tells us its own story to all read
ers and a good deal more to those who
are experts in the advanced art Of
reading between the lines;
MARITAL LAw-wHoLE COLONY SAVE THE
PORTS.
The following proclamation by the governor was
published In a government gazette extraordi-
nary yesterday afternoon:
Whereas, Martial law has already been proclaim
ed and is In existence In certain districts Of this
colony, and, whereas, the colony has been and IL
being invaded by armed forces from the Orange
River Colony; and, whereas, It in desirable and
e~xpedient that martial law should be proclaimed
in certain other districts at present not under its
operation;
thority in me vested, I do hereby proclaim and
direct that martial law shall, from and after the
date of these presents, prevail in every district Of
the colony not now included in its operation, with
the exception Of the districts Of the Cape, Simon's
Town, Weinberg, Port Elizabeth, East London and
the territories Of the Transkei, Tembuland, Girl
Qualand East and Pondoland.
Two days after the first publishing
Of the above official declaration Of mar
tial law there appeared at the post
Office Of every town and village of
the district specified a proclamation
in detail Of which the following is a
copy, this n having been taken at
the little seaside village of Gordon's
Bay, not far from Cape Town. It was
given in -mimeograph duplicate and
was followed three days later by a
printed proclamation, Dutch and Eng
ush being given in parallel columns,
with enlargement upon the technically
military matters, such as signals and
disarmament:
Martial law, District of SteIlenbosch, publicly
announced at Ste1lenbosch, 18th January, 1901:
Eerm1LS are required Iof persons sleeping away
from their homes. Persons entering the district
without q permit to report personally to COM
mandant on arrival. Persons leaving the district
by rail or otherwise to obtain a permit from the
Eommandant Citations south of and including
wellington excepted).
Every person to be in his or her house from
e:S0 p. m. to 8 q. n. Families may, however,
remain ON their steps until 1880 p. m, at which
Eme all lights must be put out.
Signals by lights or other means forbidden.
Correspondence.-An correspondence, parcels,
etc, arriving by post or otherwise liable to be ex-
Rmined.
cipher.
Meetingz-An meetings are forbidden. except