The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1901-08-21
olvITT ON THE Beers.
c.rous irish Patriot Calls Them
Bravest of the Brave.
GAYS BBITAIN's MIGHT is PUNY

rd,s Boosted Supremacy Is a
,,ore Memory, He Declares - Her
.,v Motive For the South African
MAR He Says, Was to Steal the
Rand Mines.
,iicbael Davitt, who has spent more
than half the years of his life in the
oorso of free Ireland, arrived in New
Work. recently on the steamship ST.
D.r, If the American line from South
n ampton.
The object of his visit is purely a
.orsonal one. He has engagements,
however, to make speeches in Chicago
and other principal cities in the United
3 states before he returns.
. "you have asked me to say some
thing in reply to the cabled reports Of
tho Snpecb made by Mr.. Chamberlain
s in +be house of commons with regard
< 70 fine war in South Africa" he said to
ronorter Of the New York Journal. Il
!. hardly believe he made the assertions
& credited to him and should prefer to
withhold my criticism until more au-
+bentic confirmation can be secured. If
he did make the criminal statements
credited to him, should say he had
temporarily lost his senses.
ENGLAND all during the Boer war
has been engaging and arming the ma
lives while the Beers have never en-
Moved any Kaffirs. This | know to be
absolutely true, for l was all through
South Africa last year and carefully
looked over the situation.
During the attack on Mafeking the
British used Kaffirs on the advance
forming two parties, who made sorties
on the Boer position under the direc-
tion of General Baden-Powell. War is
war. and the Beers would be very fool
ish if they do not shoot these natives
when they find they are arrayed
against them. How do they differ in
il this respect from British troops?
Now it is proposed to make the Beers
suffer the death penalty if found guilty
Of killing natives. Suppose the Beers
hdkilled their prisoners at the outset,
what would have been the conse-
quence? They had more than 10000 at
one time. At the beginning of the war
it was agreed that no natives should
be engaged in the conflict. The Beers
have reIigiously kept their part Of that
agreement, but the English have not.
There can be no doubt about that.
81 have been all around the world. and
have never met a finer or drawer lot
of people than the Beers. They will
fight as long'as their ammunition holds
out, and will not give up until their
last cartridge has been fired. They
don't expect to receive any financial
aid from America, nor any help in the
way of recruits. SO far they have had
only about 1000 outsiders, all told, to
assist them, and these were mostly the
miners engaged in the mines at johann
nesburg. They formed little laagers
and called themselves the American,
Irish, Italian or French brigade, ac-
cording to their composition.
AT no time have the Beers had more
than $4,000 men in the field, and during
The past few months this number has
been reduced to about one-third that
number. The population of the Trans
wal and Orange Free State, including
women and children, IS only about
ZoO'OOO, and have seen boys less than
1t years old carrying arms. The Eng
hSh have had about 100000 troops in
South Africa, which can be seen is
$4,000 more than the whole BOer popu-
latlon Had the Beers had 10000 more
men at one time | believe they could
nave been victorious.
1T is an unjust war-a giant against
dWarf-and | am proud to say our
sympathies are with the Beers and
against England. whose enmity we
VIII, for the time being, incur. The
Beers must meet inevitable defeat, but
my information is to the effect that
they will be able to carry on the war
LOT at least a twelvemonth longer.
cannot speak officially, but do not
oeleve MIR. Kruger will pay visit to
the United States. He is a fine old
gentleman. and the fight he and his
people are making for justice and lib
cry Is quite the same as the one in
winch we are engaged.
!. What was England's primal inten-
''oh in this war? To steal the rand
DliAes Now, what has this criminal
purpose cost so far? Between $S.000,-
VVo and S10,00O.0O0 week. and up to
'1e present time a taxation indebted
ness or $1,000. 100000 hal been incur
'eu'- The government consois have de-