Morris tribune., 1902-01-04
SOUTH AFRICAN War.
Relations Of England, Europe
and America to the Conflict.
VIEWsoPABRITIsHPAPERoNTHEM

1t Claims That There IL NO Possible
solution Now Except q Military
One-Continental Intervention Not
Feared - Says surrender of Beers
should BE Made as Easy az Possi-
BILE.
The relations Of England, Europe
and the United States to the Boer war
are treated as follows by the London
Spectator:
We are not in the least anxious as to
Intervention by the continent. 1t could
not take place without America taking
a leading part, and that part America
will not play. But, though this is so,
we do not wonder that American
statesmen are made anxious by the sit
uation. When one sees friend in a
desperate struggle and an ugly crowd
around him, it is impossible not to give
vent to an anxious For heavens sake,
finish that job as soon as you can!''
This anxiety, coupled with a very
natural inability to grasp the nature Of
the Boer and his peculiar attitude in
regard to the war, has also caused
Americans and those most friendly to
England first of all to ask how it is
that we do not come to terms with the
Beers and make a reasonable compro-
mise We are quite sure that if the
Philippine struggle doomed as large as
does that in South Africa we should
ask exactly the same question here in
regard to the Filipinos. All members
of the Anglo-Saxon race have a pro-
found belief in compromise and find
it almost impossible not to believe that
a dispute can sooner or later be settled
on terms This instructive feeling is
strengthened by the natural impotence
caused by a long struggle, an impa
tience which, strange s it seems, is al
ways felt more keenly by the onlook-
ers than by the complaints.
p During the last six months of the
civil war the Impotence here for an
end of the struggle was very great and
was by no means always felt by those
who considered themselves on the side
Of the south. Many persons who sin
cerely believed themselves northern in
sympathy held that the north must
make peace on reasonable terms and
declared that if not either the north
would bleed to death or else there
would be European coalition to end
the struggle.
Though many Americans cannot see
the impossibility Of any compromise
with the Boers-though they see the
in the case of the Filipi-
nos-ft is, we fear, most unlikely that
the Beers will be willing to accept vol
any terms we can offer them.
Mr.. Kruger and the SO called Boer
here and Mr.. Steyn in
South Africa will not agree to anything
but independence. Why should they
when anything less means to them pc
litical humiliation? President Davis
and his government showed exactly the
same spirit. They had no sort Of no.
ton of yielding whentLee gave way,
but would have fought on for another
two years If they could in the hope Of
something turning up. But Lee and
the other commanders and their sol
diers at last finished the war by SIM
pie surrender and on no political terms.
So 1T will be here. The Boer govern
ments, such as they are, will never
make terms. But some day the sol
diers still in the field will come in, and
the war will be over.
There is no solution possible now, as
far as we can see, except military
one, and therefore all we can do is to
fight steadily and actively and not al
low ourselves to be alarmed by scares
Of Intervention or deluded by impossi.
BILE ideas of compromise and negotia-
ton. We have just got to "stick it
out" Flight and don't fuss" is the
Of the whole matter. Mean
time there is one thing which we can
and ought to remember to do-that is,
to make surrender on the part Of the
Boer combatants in the field as easy
as possible. Let us, as far as we can,
save the face of the Boer officers
and men and make the transition from
enemies to fellow subjects as easy as
we possibly can. We want when the
war is over to have as large number
IF Beers as possible proud to say,
They fought us without mercy while
he war lasted, but when the end came
hey treated us like gentlemen New
1r spoil the face Of those with whom
you must some day keep house is a
good rule.
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