The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-06-10

October, 1899, according to his statement,
''as a personal and political protest against
a war which I believed to be the greatest in
fanny of the nineteenth century, After his
resignation, Mr.. Davitt proceeded to the
Transvaal to study the Beers through close
contact with leaders and people. An in
stinctive hater of the English, he went to the
seat of war an enthusiastic supporter of the
Boer cause. =
In this book his sympathies and antagon-
isms are strongly manifested, so that the
narrative becomes eulogy on the Beers and
damnation to the ''red necks,' as the Beers
call the English. Nevertheless it would be
difficult to find in the many books about the
war more interesting and picturesque &C.
count of the conflict now terminated than MT
Davitt has given us in this book 1t is
fine eulogy on one of the bravest and most
heroic people in the world.
Mr.. Davitt gives interesting sketch OF
the early antagonism of the British govern
ment and Dutch and Franco-Dutch settlers IN
South Africa, and the tricks from the south
coast into the wilderness among the kaftr
tribes. He takes up, seriatim, the charges
made against the Beers by the English, such
as the existence Of Boer oligarchy, the con-
trail figure of which was Paul Kruger He
declares that the latter lived in the most
frugal manner. that the gold mines enriched
him, but, when he left Lorenzo Marques for
Europe in 1900, he only had $4,000, while
possibly he had invested his wealth well
and wisely His salary as president was
s35, 900 and he sold one farm just before the
war for 100000, but gave the money to his
children and his church, and loaned $500. 600
OF it to the Transvaal treasury, which has
not paid it back
AS to the cause Of the war, Mr.. Davltt
points to the Jameson raid, engineered and
paid for by Cecil Rhodes and connived at
by the British colonial: office, as the chief
procuring cause, the Beers believing since
the Jameson raiders not only escaped pun
ishment for their crime, but had their praises
formally sung by the poet laureate Of Eng
land, that further attempts to take their
territory would be made. They were en-
boldened to stand up for their rights by the
remembrance of their victory at Majuba
Hill.
AS to the war preparations Mr.. Davitt says
that the Beers had 5O,o0o,000 rounds of ammu-
milton on the declaration Of war and that, ex-
cept the Mauser rifles and their ammunition
and the Creusot and Krupp guns, the weapons
and bullets with which the burghers have
fought their English foes were supplied by
English manufacturers, and shipped by Eng
lish vessels to 7Loranzo Marques. The Maxim
Nordenfeldt and Vickers-Maxim guns were
bought in London. The two republics tcgeth-
er had fifty-two long range guns at the be
ginning. HQ6 CTSuScI guns 'Nelc OQcuI5
bought, and dozen batteries of them were
ready when hostilities opened. General Jou-
rert sent Beers to Europe to study artillery
systems for four years before the war. and
they certainly studied to some effect, Judging
by the splendid artillery practice of the Beers
during the war.
The Beers, according to the author, did no!
go into the conflict without some very excel
lent preparations and with the knowledge thai
the enemy's headquarters were located On ar
island 1000 miles away, and that the seat o.
war would be a country of vast oeldts, noun
| tain passes and natural redoubts in the nu;
merous kopjes, limited water supply, with
| every foot of which region the Beers were
perfectly familiar and could swiftly traverse
| on horseback. The Boer possessed natura
strategy to utilize cover. These things, united
with absolute fearlessness, gave the Beers The
power to protract the war against vastly
| superior enemy
Mr.. Davitts descriptions of the battles ant
| marches of the Beers and their logged per
! sistence are very fine and his pen sketches o
| their generals with whom he came in persona
| contact are excellent reading. OF most o.
! these generals there are photographs, either
alone or with their families, which are al
very large. When De Wet was asked by al
English prisoner what he thought of Lore
Roberts, he said: 81 would rather hear your
| as to what generalship he would be likely t.
| show if he had to fight, say, 100000 Boer
| with IS 900 British General Louis Both'
had very little military experience and NJ
| knowledge of tactics. but was zone of ma
lures ready-made generals, c..t and fashioned
on lines of natural genius Cronie is
strong Calvinist Of sincere and deep religious
convictions. In battle he carried no arms
but resorted to his pocket Bible. Declare!
fought tho first successful battle of the wa
and is a fighter from away rack, born of {
| great fighting family. He, like Cronje, carries
| his Bible with him always He never get
excited and has unerring military judgmen
decides and acts quickly.
! The book is full Of crisp personal delinea
4 tions Davitt estimates the (Boer force a1elt
| on Jan. at u, 900, against 237, 800 British II
accounts as the four greatest leaders Loui
Botha, De Wet, Delarey and steyn
The last chapter is devoted to "a summar!
| of British outrages, and the author bitterl,
| condemns the United States with other ma
| tons for non intervention against Englan'
and for selling supplies to the British gov
eminent He says they have all been man
monized' by the British government. Mr.
| Davitt wanted these nations to be t'mammon
| lied in the interest of the Beers exclusively
prejudiced as he is, Mr.. Davitt has certainl
| produced the most readable book about tn
/ Beers which has been put on the market.
i Hamms Velvet, the new special brew