The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-05-03
Our Injustice to the Beers.

A THOUGH it was given out that
| II the war would be carried on
without interruption while the
Boer leaders were in conference con-
sidering peace proposals, yet during the
past fortnight no news of any engage
ment between the burghers and their
! enemies has come to hand. This means
that the British are more anxious than
their adversaries to come to some set
Element which will concede to the con-
quered people everything except ma
tiOnal independence.
That the Beers have actually stopped
fighting to consider anything short of
independence is a sign of peace 1t is
not in the blood of the Huguenot or
Dutchman to give up while there is one
chance in a hundred that he may win.
The Boer leaders are now considering
that one chance. That one chance COM
prehends one armed burgher against
twenty British soldiers. II is couple
of little republics against the two
great commercial nations of the world
Great Britain and the United States
to spend a billion in money and tax
the bread Of Britain's people to carry
on war against them, and now the
enemy is willing to stock their farms
and restore their homes provided they
cease war and acknowledge themselves
beaten. An oral declaration like this
from the Beers would lubrcate English
md Hof Nnc fcI, svlo II
would go a long way to bring about a
fast bargain between conquered and
conqueror and the mere avowal of be-
ing beaten will be taken care of in the
fiction of history
1t is no slip of the pen which named !
the United States as one of the factors |
in the extinction of the Boer republics. |
Not the people of the United States. |
but the peoples servants, in the per-
sons of Theodore Roosevelt and John |
Hay. president and secretary of state. |
The attention of the federal govern |
ment has been called to the existence |
of the British supply camp near New
Orleans by the governor of Louisiana. |
The attorney general has given some
kind of a Pickwickian opinion designed
to show that a mule is not a soldier.
but the animal may be contraband of
war. Some colonel or other was sent
from the war department to inyesti-
gate. What he reported is not made
public. At any rate nothing has been
done toward abolishing the camp and
aiding the British government to re-
coup its cavalry and transportation in
South Africa. Utah horses are daily
bought and inspected by officers and
other persons in the employ of the
British government, and the animals
are corralled in lot opposite the Trib-
Inc building in Salt Lake.
But since peace is in sight for South
Africa, any correction of the injury we
nave done TO the Beers comes too late
md goes without merit. but must for
'Ver remain stigma upon the nation.
'erhaps the shipment of animals TO
south Africa now will benefit the Beers
more than the British, as ultimately
he conquerer will have 10 dispose of
hem to the best advantage among the
3oer people What we are more con-
erned ABOUT is the position taken by |
he Salt Lake papers, notably the Tri-
'une, in justification of the British
amp in Louisiana, and the false as
that the United States is not
ound TO any restriction of trade
mong nations at war; and that any !
with the plans of the =
British camp would set up precedent
to our export trade |,
If this position is correct, then why :
-as it not applied by England during a
ur war with Spain? Ex-Congress- !
IAN Fitzgerald, now editor of the Bos-
on Republic. points out few facts I
isclosing the pro- British sentiment of t
ne federal administration During the I
ar with Spain the British govern /;
lent, acting under the neutrality proc /