Arizona daily citizen., 1901-10-26
WHEN WILL THE BOERS RETALlATE2

WHEN WILL THE BOERS RETALlATE2
We are informed by an Associated
Press dispatch published this morning
that Johannes Botha. Il brother OF the
name has had his sentence to die ON
the galows commuted to penal serv
itude for life Yesterday we were In
formed of the hanging OF three Beers
in Cape Colony who were found guilty
of treason A week ago three other
Bocr prisoners of war were hanged,
1t IL evident that Kitchener has begun
the work cut ont for him.
The execution of Boer officers for
treason" and more fantastic still
murder wnnld be humorous IL II
were not so horrible and utterly bar
harous The British authorities have
suppressed constitutional government
in Cape Colony. set aside Parliament.
established reign OF terror. and re-
yived the lcttre de cachet; yet they
look with horror upon treason,
Boer prisoners in the detention camps
are dying by hundretls--especiall
helpless children-and the English
prate of murder"
The ghastly comedy speaks for it
self. No comment could do it Justice
And so the savage industry is set in
motion. Kitchener has begun to exc
cute captiVes. to Danish, to multiply
his penal colonies, He sits at the feet
of Alva and takes lessons from that
monsters annals. Unable, with force
twenty times stronger than theirs, to
quell the resistance of the Beers; de-
feated at every turn and with equal
numbers always disgracefully thrashed
by the "half-civilized Dutch louts
Kitchener now reverts to the barbara
perate effort to extingush human lib
erty in South Africa. Sure of the af-
fectionate cooperation of our govern
ment in the matter of mules, horses
and other military supplies. the Brit
ish gOvernmest at last throws off the
prctense of Christian methods and ap-
plies to the patriots of the Transvaal
and the Orange Free State the same
infamous cruelties that England prac-
ticed against the American heroes and
martyrs of I776
The question is whether the Beers
will retaIiate in kind. During the past
twelve months Botha, De Wet, De-
larey. and other South African patri-
OTIS have liberated thousands of British
captives, Not prepared to treat pris-
oners according to the laws OF
civilized warfare. they have set them
free in every case unharmed Will they
continue that policy now that
Kitchener has adopted the policies OF
the bloody A1ya? Their wives, sisters,
parents. and children are crowded in
deadly prison pens, left to die of CON
kOChJ anu IIuI~
derons neglect. Their homes have
been obliterated, their farms effaeed !
They are left with nothing but the
choice between slavery and death. and !
have chosen death. VIII they, now |
that there is nothing more to lose and !
nothing more to hope. go on requiting |
savagery with mercy, slaughter with |
forgiveness and gentle ministration?
1t Is possible, but is 1t proba ble-is II /
in human nature?
Surely there must be point at which
men-even such patient and long -suf-
fering men as the Beers have shown
themseives-can be converted into
devils. Surely there Is limit to en-
durance. The question will not down
how much longer will the Boer re-
fuse to meet Kitchener upon his chos-
en- terms and answer the gallows and
the galleys with the shambles and the
stake?
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