The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1902-06-12

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The in South Africa
brought about directly by the refusal
of the Transvaal government to al
low the foreign element of the popula-
ton to have a voice in public affairs,
and like refusal to continue in force
certain railway and other public util-
ity franchises, controlled mostly by
British subjects But the indirect
cause was elimination of unsatis
factory conditions extending over a
period of almost a century
From the first the Beers, Dutch
farmers OF the Cape. were always in
trouble Their uncompromising spirit
led them still farther afie1d and into
strife with the natives. The relations
of the white men to the black caused
the first friction between the British
administration and the old settlers
In 1884 the British government re-
solved to emancipate the slaves and
parliament voted 100000. 900 ($1OO.-
100000 for compensation Abolition
ruined the West Indies and started
disaffectiOn in South Africa The
$15,O0O,OOO set aside for South Africa's
share of the compensation was made
payable in London and the unfortu-
nate shareholders were compelled 20
sell their claims at reduced prices to
middlemen. This caused rebellion and
the trekkers was Paul Kruger, then
boy of 10.
! The irreconci1able Beers fell in
with the Matabeles and had many
fierce encounter with them After
numerous vicissitudes the Transvaa1
became chaos of lawless Dutch, Ba-
sutos, Hottentots and half-breeds liv-
ing in a chronic state of turbulence.
The Orange River Colony, then the
Orange Free State had been thrown
off by Great Britain, greatly to the in
dIgnatiOn of its inhabitants, who de-
manded compensation for the with
drawal of imperial protection, which
was granted. The TranSVaal mean
while was threatened by the Zulus and
Kaff1rs; the farmers houses were I'M
protected and at the mercy of the
savages, and though it is probable
that the Beers would have been a
match for the combined forces of the
natives it is certain that at the time
they did not think so, but welcome
British protection Sir TheOphilus
Shepstone, with twenty-five men, al
the request of the Beers themselves
annexed the country, and even Paul
Kruger accepted a paid office under
the government
With Kruger in office the Beers be
gan, in defiance of treaty obligations
a series of movements that necessitat-
ed British expedition to drive them
out of Bechuanaland, Goshen anG
SteIlaIand, at a cost of million or sc
to the British taxpayer. Naturally the
British hold up these Boer raids, il
defiance of treaty obligations, as al
offset to the Jameson raid.
From this time the new N'Transvaa
Republic set out on the path of in
dependence that ultimately led to tn,
war Gold was discovered in tn
TransvaaI in 1856 1t was field 70
elaborate machinery and for immens'
capital These were furnished by tn
:uitIanders, drawn from every race un
der the sun. but with the Anglo-Celti
vastly predominant The mining cen
tiers like johannesburg became full o
varied life and afforded a strong con
trast to the Dutch headquarters Thes
;uit1anders largely outnumbered tn
original inhabitants of the Transvaal
They were heavily taxed and bad1
used and they deafened Great Britain
with their cries. There not
wrong which had driven the Boo
from Cape Colony that he did nc
now practice others A wrong i
1885 might have been excusa bic; i
1S25 it was monstrOus-
In short, the Beers could not stan
the lust for gold Their primitive VII
tue vanished. The farmers were sti
untouched by the new greed, but tn