The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-02-01

AMS iiou lue tops OF bloody thrones
shouted, "Ah; we told you so, we tolu
you SOP
May American free men see to it
that the world may know that then
sympathies are not with Great Britain
but with the struggling Beers, and
let 1t be known that they believe the
cruel war raging in South Africa
should stop, and stop at once.
Our nation should stand for liberty.
for civilization, for self-government
and for peace. And every effort pos
sible should be put forth to bring the
mholy war in South Africa to a close.
In foreign countries today the repre-
sentatives ana sympathizers Of the
British Government are striving to
create the impression that there is a
secret understanding or alliance be-
tween our government and the British
Government. This must not be. We
cannot, as American freemen, whose
ancestors on many battlefields gave
their lives for liberty and independ-
ence, withhold our sympathies from
the farmers of the Transvaal and the
Orange Free State, as they chastise
those who, in mockery of Britain's
great principles and in disgrace of her
great fame, seek to exterminate civil
ized people and destroy their precious
liberties. Chamberlain has attempted
to dominate and to dictate in their in
ternal affairs, just as George III. inter.
fered in the affairs Of our own colonies
On battlefield in the land of the
Beers saw an old man, with hair and
beard as white as snow, fighting by the
side of stalwart man, whose hair and
beard were as black as ravens wing.
and little boy, not more than IS
years of age. 1t was a grandfather
and his son and his grandson-the
members of three generations fighting
side by side in the holy cause of free
dom and independence.
British greed and lust for gold hath
made countless millions mourn; and
British cruelty is proverbial. And yet
the British nation poses before tie
world as the great civilizer whose mis-
sion In life is to subdue savage tribes
and disseminate the germs Of cIvlliza
ton among them.
According to the British theory, the
Beers are savages, and must be civil
lied, even If civilization must be shot
into them with lyddite shells and dunn
dun bullets. During one battle on
the Tugela River 1000 lyddite shells
fell among the Beers, and, though at
The Hague convention dum-dum bull
let's were condemned by the repre-
sentatives Of the civilized world as fit
only for guns of savages, yet | have
now in my possession three unexplod.
ed dum-dum cartridges which l picked
up on the top OF Spion's Kop in the
trenches that had been occupied by
the British troops, who fell in that.
the most terrible battle in South AZ
mean history. have also in my pos
session two dum-dum bullets that We're
given to me by a surgeon as he eX-
tracted them from the bodies of two
dead Beers. 10 my mind this is suf.
ficient proof that dum-dum bullets
were used, to some extent ut least, by
the aforesaid alleged civilizu's troops
In that engagement
Numerous have been the instances of
British cruelty on the battlefelds, such
as the abuse of the white flag and the
firing upon the Red Cross. In fact,
the conduct OF British troops-especial-
~ the lancers, have no parallel in mod
ern warfare. In proof of this. we
have only. to quote from descriptive
letters written home by war cores.
pondents in the English newspapers
The Uitlamlcrs Of the South African
republics claimed that the franchise
was their sole desire but afterwards
they failcn to accept a fair franchise
when it was offered them. They de-
clarcd that they desired the mining in
dustry as we'll. and also desired the
prosperity Of the masses, but after
wards they made frantic attempts to
acquire monopollstic control and to
crown the capitalist king. to the dctri-
ment Of the multitude and the injury
Of the republic. They protested that
they coveted no mans lands, and yet
they organized the Jameson raid. and
started the war which is now being
waged, at the instance of the wealthy.
and for the satisfaction of their goldclf
lusts.
The British demands Of the Beers
were trumpet up, and are without a
sound basis either in morals or in law.
1t is q sad spectacle Of the strongest
empire in the world bringing domncer-
ing pressure to bear upon tiny re-
public to influence change of certain
domestic policies which are in no sense
a part of the business of that empire.
For the Beers to comply with these
demands would have meant the sacri.
fee Of every vestige of essential sover
eighty belonging to the Transvaal as
an independent republic. The ques-
ton Of the naturalization of foreign
ers in the South African republic is no
more the business Of the British Gov.
eminent than are the naturalization
laws of the republic of Mexico mat