Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-01-16

allotment of threescore and ten. On
the other hand, the Hawkeye states
men are in the flower of their years
and bid fair to be ON the boards for a
long time yet. They are to be con-
graduated on their good luck.
Astounding.
The recent severe trouncing which
General De Wet inflicted on the bloody
Britishers serves to renew interest in
the South African Beers, who have not
only made the bravest fight for liberty
ever made since the morning stars first
sang together for joy, but also the
most astounding. Other feeble nations
have gained victories as brilliant
against great odds, but no people so
feeble in numbers ever carried on for
so long a time war against such fear
full odds. Three years-cruel years
have dragged their slow length along
since this war began, and we, the
greatest republic in the world, have
stood by consenting, as Saul at the
stoning of Stephen, while brutal Eng
land throttles those tiny republics.
Wherefor? Because England is a rob-
Der nation, we have aspirations to be-
come robber nation, and robber ma
tions must stand together for self pro-
lection and because it is so English,
don't you know. A dealer in horse
flesh told me during the Christmas hol-
idays that the English had sent over
here for $4,000 more cavalry horses to
replace the 5000 which General De
Wet recently captured, and he alleges
that 6,000 acclimated horses were just
about equal to $4,000 green horses.
Every man who ever read a syllable Of
international law knows that horses
are contraband of war, and every
American horse and mule shipped
from America to the English in South
Africa is a violation of international
law President Roosevelt is of the
same blood as the Beers, and it is to
be hoped that he will do something to
help them in this crisis of their fate.
would applaud him for SO doing. There
would be no party politics in such ac-
ton; it would be an act of humanity.
Old Paul Kruger is making good the
words he uttered at the beginning of
the war when he declared that the
Beers could be subdued only at cost
of treasure and of blood at which the
world would stand aghast.
The Beers are fighting for home and
wives and children and liberty, yet
two Republican administrations have
kept hands off and have remained
dumb as oysters while men, women
and children have been ruthlessly
butchered and while the torch and the
black savages of South Africa have
been used by the English as instru-
ments not of war, but of murder. We
have cut sorry figure, most pitiable
figure, in this bloody business by aid
ing the marauders.
The Missouri.
Dec. % was great day for all Mis-
sourians, for that was the date of the
launching of the Missouri, one of the
finest battleships that ride the watery
main. 1t was an especially notable
day for the Cockrell family Miss Mar
ion Cockrell, whom the press dis
patches describe as vision fit to de-
light the eye, christened the Missouri
with grace worthy of the imperial
commonwealth from which she halls,
and her father, Senator Cockrell, Mis-
souri's Grand Old Man, spoke in his
happiest vein. If the Missouri COM
ports herself in battle as bravely as
Missouri soldiers did, whether Union
Or Confederate, no battleship will have
q prouder record than hers. May she
never lower her colors while the ocean
remains salty!