The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-10
IT'S HARD TO KEEP
A GOOD MAN DOWN
Famous Boer General May Get
An Office From Taft
Is LIVING IN NEW MEXICO
General viljoen Has Been Farming in
the Territory and John Hays Ham.
mond May Help in Getting
Him an Office.

San Antonio, Tex, January a.-(Spe-
cial.) -That it is hard to keep good man
down is emphasized by the candidacy for
the collectorship of the port of Ell Paso
of Gen. Ben j. Viljoen. late Of the Boer
army. Perhaps candidacy in itself is not
a measure of the good man who can't
be downed, but the possibility of getting
there is. Back of General yiljoens can
didacy lies what may be termed a ro-
nance of war. Things looked very ugly
for DR.. Jameson. main promoter and
leader OF the famous Jameson raid In
1885, and John Hays Hammond, his lieu
tenant. After having gone as far as
Krugersdorp without meeting even the
slightest opposition, the raiders found
themselves effectively opposed by force
of Beers, a contingent OF which was COM
manded by veldcornet Viljoen, then
member of the Transvaal volksraad. or
senate There was some so minutes de-
cisive fighting and the men of Jameson
and Hammond, who had not been killed
or wounded, were obliged to surrender.
Sentiment in general among the Beers
was that the two leaders at least should
be tried and executed on the charge of
having caused the death of the Beers
who fell in the engagement. Had this
been done, DIR. Jameson would not be
premier OF Cape Colony today, nor would
Mr.. Hammond be in Il position to earn
the highest salary Of any mining engi-
neer in the world, or share the friendship
Tf,fA nil 4ltafa ifxr
they would have been stood up against
a wall and shot. But to the carrying out
OF this purpose there was opposition. In
the first place. Paul Kruger and few
other "toppers" were inclined to give
sway to leniency from the first, and, sec
ondly, a few of the younger statesmen
took either the same view or did not
care to incur the wrath of Great Britain
and America Among the latter was
Senator yiljoen. Being of a liberal turn
of mind and a sportsman, he considered
that the raiders had paid enough in
blood, and was one OF the first TO sup
port the idea OF turning DR.. Jameson
and Mr. Hammond over to the British
government.
Mr.. Hammond, who in the meantime
had become a vice presidential possibili-
ty and a political figure of national
prominence, had forgotten all about his
erstwhile benefactor. when, on the recent
presidential tour, which he joined as
friend of Mr.. Taft, he came to Ell Paso
and was introduced to General Viljoen.
While the exploits of General Viljoen
during the late Boer war We're familiar
to Mr.. Hammond. he did not identify
them with the man who once had been
instrumental In saving his life. The ex-
change of a few words. however, put
Mr.. Hammond on the right track, and a
friendship that had started under rather
peculiar circumstances was renewed and
reopened For some time the candidacy
for the collectorship at Ell Paso of Gen.
eral Viljoen had occupied the attention
of republican politicians of Texas and
New Mexico. and when Mr.. Hammond
heard this he promptly offered to use his
influence with the President with a view
of securing the appointment for his
friend.
Just how much this influence will be
worth Is something the other candidates
for the position are keenly interested in.
Texas republican politicians have for
some time had a strange hold on ap-
pointments in the Eel Paso country, al
though Mr.. Roosevelt established prece-
dent in favor of New Mexicans by rotat-
ing the federal offices there between APP
pointees from Texas and New Mexico
during his administrations.
]. A. Smith. republican boss and post
master at Ell Paso. insists upon the re-
friend of his, and at present collector
of customs at that point. In this he is
said to have the support OF Postmaster
General Hitchcock, much to the disgust
of the New Mexico republicans, VINO are
unanimously In favor OF General Viljoen.
Appointments recently made by the adj
rninistration have not been favorable to
them. and have lost them q great deal
of support which In the event of state
hood might mean the sending to WASH
ington of democrats as senators and rep
resentatives instead of republicans, as
has been expected with all confidence in
the past.
General viljoen came to this country
at the close of the Boer war. after hay
ing refused to take the oath OF allegiance
TO King Edward. He is married to an
American, and has been a citizen for
some time. Although a newspaper man
by profession, he decided to take up
farming, at which he has been very sue
cessful Recently he was commissioned
a a colonel on the staff of the governor of
New Mexico During the late Boer war
he distinguished himself as a cavalry Of
ficer of dash and bravery. whose services
were second only to those Of General De