Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-09-01
TROUBLE OF THE HEREROs.
The Deeds Which Started Germany's
Little War in the HinterIand.

the Frankfurt Zeitung published a
statement of traveller who had just
returned from the scene of war, hay-
ing made his home while there at
Windhoek and Okahandja. He de-
clared that the merchants and trad
ers had purposely involved the ma
tives in debt and had then pursued
course of levying on their goods and
chattels that would have been resent
ed by any civilized community in
the world. According to this state
ment, the traders are largely dis
charged soldiers whom the merchants
equip with wagons, and oxen, and a
load of goods. The soldier-traders
sold at first largely on credit. They
told the natives that they need not
pay then, but might pay at later
trip. The natives under these in
ducements bought heavily and at la
ter periods they paid little and I'M
| der the generous promises of the
traders they bought still more heav-
| lily. The merchants who back these
traders favored this extension of
credits until sometimes native
would owe a merchant as much as
$4,000. All that time the trader was
telling the native that ANY time
would do TO pay his debt
Finally the trader having involved
the native as heavily as possible be
gan to collect. The wealth of the
Hereros is principally in cattle. They
are almost religiously devoted II
their stock, taking every possible
care of it and even at times letting
favorite animals die of old age rather
than kill them. But the trader has
no sentiment in this regard an
when he started to collect he pro
ceeded to drive away the stock OF
the debtor. AS the merchant made
an average of 70 per cent. on tn
goods that ne sold the trader and as
the latter generally made 100 per
cent in their sale, besides making a
profit of 20 per cent. on the cattle
that he seized it is easy to see how
an intelligent native world come in
time to resent such a procedure.
This was the groundwork on which
the present discomfort and warlille
attitude of the Hereros was built.
According to dispatches from British
Bechuanaland, the immediate trou-
BILE arose from the shooting of ma
tive by German officer. The shoot
| ing was unprovoked and the news of
the event spread like wildfre
throughout the Hinterland. Runners
were sent from camp to camp and
from these to the larger towns, until
every section of Hereroland and
Ovampoland was aroused. The men
began to arm Immediately. Expedi-
lions were sent in various directions.
Okhandja was cut off and Barmen
and Windhoek itself threatened.
Isolated families of German settlers
were killed, and when the small
forces of the Germans took the field
to relieve the garrisons at various
points they were beaten back with
serious loss.
The German troops in the colony
gave back bloodshed for bloodshed,
magazine rifles and machine guns
against the breach-loading rifles AMI
bows of the natives, small force
was the equivalent of a large body of
Hereros or Hottentots. While the
number of German soldiers in the
field was scarcely 1000 men, they
managed to hold at bay a native
! 4LNi lNpr
Word was sent to Berlin and after a
spirited debate in the Retchstag a
credit of $4,000 for a punitive eXpe-
dition was voted and further credit
of $4,000 for the budget for the
present year was passed. With this
money 1000 more soldiers were
equipped and sent into the field. This
gave the Germans about 1000 men in
the field, but after two months in the
colony the world has yet to hear that
the soldiers of the emperor have
fought any decisive battle with the
natives.
Meantime another and still more
important move has been made by
the shrewd natives. In the fight
against the Germans they have been
given TO understand by their leaders
that they have the sympathy Of the
British The natives confoundinS
the German soldiers and traders with
the beers, and knowing the British
have recently been at war with the
latter. have come TO the conclusion
that the English will be their friends
in the great conflict with the invad-
ors. This belief has been strength
ened by an event that occurred last
November. In 1900 the natives
killed a boer, and last fall three ma
tives were arrested by the British au-
thorities in the section of the Trans
wall bordering on German Southwest
Africa. When they were brought up
for trial their chief Liuchwe, came
to the court and produced letters
written to him by the British com
missioner instucting him 10 "exer-