The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1902-01-01

LUCKY IOT LHe WOIIu IL tic WOdio IcaI la
it's lesson through England's woe. Il
has been a sad awakening for Eng
land, lately so proud. The saddest oil
1t all is the utter failure of all but q
small handful of men to realize ouf
moral responsibility.
mo greater disaster could happen to
the British empire than that we should
gain the victory in South Africa. When
nation is wrong, it should be whip
ped, and be soundly whipped, as we
were in the American war. We did
not learn our lesson then. There are
less signs that we are learning it now.
But in the end the lesson will be IN
derstood. We may not then be so hand
some, but we shall have gained clear
err perception of political morality.
! 1.-TWO of the greatest blessings to the
British empire were great defeats.
Jeanne dare was the saving angel of
England We were laundering out of
the right path, and she cleared us out
| of the continent and saved us from Eu-
rope George Washington cleared us
out of your country and saved us from
|
from Africa. They will clear us out Of
there, and they are a blessing in dis
guise."
"How can you now get out of the
scrape?" Mr.. Wellman asked.
"It is easy enough" replied Mr.
Stead. "Cut off Chamberlain's head
and send it on a charger to old man
Kruger at Helversum, saying unto
him: Here, take this. 1t means the
end of wrong. 1t means that we have
come to make amends
Eyes, cut off Chamberlain's head.
That's the easiest way to stop the war.
There never would have been any war
If Chamberlain had not refused Kru-
gers offer to arbitrate. AS a result
$4,000 good men have been put under
the sod and $4,000 more have had their
lives blighted by wounds. We refused
to arbitrate because we knew we were
wrong and because we believed we
could easily whip the little nation that
had the impudence to ask for arDitra-
ton. When he started this war. Cham
berlain thought he could finish it up
with ten millions sterling. l told him
it would cost hundred millions. He
said | was crazy. Today the cost is
two hundred millions and the end not
in sight.
1--WE have acted like pirates in South
Africa. What we should do now is to
repent, admit that we were wrong.
offer to make reparation. to build up
what we have torn down. replace the
families on the farms, rebuild the
burned houses. restore the implements
we have broken up. and buy new horses,
cattle, sheep and pigs to take the place
Of those we have stolen. What other
compensation is fairly due we must
pay. If England were great enough
to do that. she would live again. She
SWould furnish the world a moral OBJ
iect lesson which would indeed stagger
humanity.
But there are few signs Of repent
ance The orgy goes on. At a peace
meeting in the slums the crowd Jeered
and hooted me. told them the trouble
with them was the trouble with all
England-bpsotted with beer. They de-
INJURED and howled. Well l said. per-
hans I made a mistake 1t is not beer,
but ginv
$50 1t was with Chamberlain. lie
began with beer drunk; he ended
with a gin drunk Two years ago he
proposed to guarantee the Beers their
independence. Now he declares he VIII
annihilate them.
kruger and Steyn say they are will
ing to sacrifice everything, even to lay
down their independence, If Chamber
lain can get any tribunal in the World
to bring in a verdict that they deserve
capital punishment. That is all they
ask. But Chamberlain says no. lie
proposes to execute two nations WITH
out going through the formality OF tax
ing them to court"
"Then how would you go about 1t to
stop the war, Mr.. Stead? Mr.. Well
man asked.
ITO stop the war? 1t is the easiest
thing in the world. Send telegram
today, this very hour, to Kruger ana
Steyn and Botha telling them that
truce is declared, that tribunal is to
be formed to pass on all the questions
involved and that both sides are to
abide by the verdict. That not only
stops the war; it is the end OF the
war. Not another shot. Not another
poor devil moaning his life out on the
veltlt. The farms are reoccupied. Fam
lilies are reunited. Industry starts up.
Peace reigns. 1t needs only the WORD.
"Those who scout my plan of stop
ping the war say it would have BAD
effect upon British prestige. Well,
British prestige cannot fall lower than
it is today. They say If we compro-
mise with the Beers Australia and
| Canada won't like IL and will revolt.
| / don't believe a word of it. If. that is
the measure of their loyalty, they
won't stay long anyway and a:e not
worth holding. Besides. If we are to
permit great questions of right and
wrong to be decided for the British
empire by the 100000 people who live
| &Ia -, 000 xx-h n