The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-30
WORKING FOR PEACE

Heretofore all announcements of nego-
tlati0ns for a basis upon which to bring
the Anglo-Boer war to conclusion and
restore much needed peace to war-harried
South Africa, have proven false. The
combatants have refused to abate the fe-l
rocities of war. There was a personal
conference last year between Lord Kltch-
ener and the Boer general, Botha on
the subject of settlement, but the mat
ter was dropped.
The announcement by Mr.. A. J. Balfour
in the British commons that the govern
ment of Holland had made proposals for
peace in behalf Of the Beers, DR.. Kuyper,
the premier of the Netherlands being the
intermediary, and that the cabinet had
the matter under consideration, embodies
some hope that settlement may at last
be reached 1t is hardly probable that
DR.. Kuyper would act in this business
without having consulted the Boer dele
gates in the Netherlands Messrs. Fischer
and WoImarans and DR.. Leyds, who have
already had conference with DR.. Bis
scop. who was sent by the London Daily
ised to take the matter into considera-
| ton The subject discussed was the dis
! position Of the Beers to seek a settlement
! like that proposed by Lord Rosebery in a
| recent speech, viz, autonomy on the Can
| adian model for the Transvaal and Orange
! Free State; reasonable extension of the
military occupation and complete amnesty
| h.. To1o
gents. The Boer delegates referred to
| are in the confidence of Kruger. The
mission Of DR.. Kuyper would hardly have
been undertaken unless he had some init
nation from the delegates that they
| wished such Office performed by the
| Netherlands government.
Whatever these gentlemen may do,
however, in the way Of peace negotiations
| will be useless, unless the commanders
afield and fighting in South Africa are in
sympathy with the movement. Kruger
and the delegates, temporarily residing in
the Netherlands, may settle the affair
| satisfactorily, but it is extremely proba-
| BILE that the Beers afeld VIII reiterat e
! their purpose to fight until independence
or the ntebellum status is restored They
could probably be Influenced by the Afr-
'cander element of Cape Colony to recon
slider this determination.
The Beers and the Africanders, who are
in sympathy with them, differ in that the
| Africanders of Cape Colony and the west
ern districts are generally of better edu-
cation and relatively Of better birth than
the Beers. Many of their families are
| descended from those French Huguenots
who were exiled by the revocation of the
Edict Of Nantes and sailed from Holland
| where they had taken refuge, to South
Africa, over 200 years ago. Among these
! were distinguished names as Hugo, Jou.
bert, Fouche, Jourdain, du Plessy, Der.
trand. These noble Huguenots in the
second and third generations had inter-
married with the Dutch Beers and their
numerous descendants have been mos
conspicuous fighters in the present war
and have large influence over the less Gull
tivated Beers, who are generally descend
ed from the Dutch employees of the ole
East India company, and, as has been seer
in this war, they follow any movement il
which they have embarked to the extreme
end, whatever may happen. In some re.
spects this is a very good trait Some.
times it terminated successfully. But II
the present case, the contest is bound tt
result in British supremacy in spite of the
plumbers of the British war office and thu
occasional successful raids of the swift.
moving Beers.
The house committee yesterday reported
the bill for the permanent establishment
of census bureau. Notwithstandin,
4 Congressman Gillett's statement previous
ly made, that 1--WE are voting simply tt
i keep our pets in Office" no effort Of
serious nature has been made to displac
the pets. The reported bill puts tn
-o1o ocju 5yxitho f,,,>