The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-12

n1VeFSary or the declaration or war Dy the Boers against Great Britain and the beginning of sanguinary strug-
 gle in which the Dutchmen of the
 TransvaaI and the Orange Free State
 were pitted against the armed forces of great empire. In the end Britain
 triumphed, but it was only after vast expenditure in money and men.
 That England would win in such a contest was foregone conclusion, and theA Boers surprised the world by fighting so long and so ya.liantly- 1 With thorough acquaintance with, every inch of their country, the Boers were able to carry on guerilla war ] fare which for a. time baffled the
 most brilliant of the British generals The English officers and stTommies'
 gained many lessons from this war
 which they have put into practice in the Europen conict- Lord Kitchener who Is now at the head of the British military machine, brought the South African war to g successful conc1us- ion.
 It is in peace, rather than in war,
 however. that Britain has scored her 1 greatest triumph in South Africa. Since the conflict came to an end in 1902 by the honorable surrender of the Boers, the British have strove4 heartily to efface the desolatton caused by war, and they have suc- ceeded so we'll that the empire has no more loyal citizens than the Dutch men of South Africa. Twelve years is brief period in which to effect the reconstruction of conquered l country, yet today the vast majority of Boers are sturdy defenders of British imperialism In 1910 the
 Union Of South Africa, 8 federation of Cape Colony. Natal. the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony. was formed with a government which is l8rnore democratic than that of the re- l publics which 1t has supplanted- Trade, commerce and industry have lincreased by leaps and bounds since the British flag was hoisted over Dom Paurs capital, and the Boers have fully shared in the abounding pros perity. or the Boer leaders in the war, practically all have manifested more than g spirit of enforced and su1len acceptance of the changed conditions Gen. Rotha has become Premier of l the Union of South Africa, Gen. De i Wet is Minister of Agriculture in the l Orange River Colony. and scores of other vanquished heroes Of the war now serve whole -heartedly under the l British flag.
 Tn the present war the sympatnies or Ithe Boers have been largely with the
 British, and large contributions of sup iplies. money and men have been of
 fered the London government. There 2 have been a few dissenting voices how ever, and Gen. Christian Frederick lBeyers resigned his post as com
 nandant Of the forces of the Union Iof South Africa because of his dis IapprovaI of the British program for lconquering German Southwest Africa. l Ills criticism of British policies brought forth a storm of disapproval from oth- l CT sex-Boer of1cers Tn accepting the Iresfgnation of Gen. Beyers, Gen Jan Christian Smuts declared that his at I tack on Great Britain mot only is en- I tirely baseless but most unJustifiable- iGen- Smut referred to the tunprece- l dented liberty and freedom of speech and press enjoyed by the Boers under l British rule,'' which he told Gen. Bey- iers, .'aIlows you to write a letter for (which you would. without doubt, be IIiabIe in the German Empire to the l Even Gen. Beyers, the spokesman 4 for the sNunreconstructed" Bpers, de- lclared that if the Germans invaded British territory, the Dutch and Brit fish would fight side by side in it's de- Efense.''
 The south African war, bloody and costly as it was. did more than give lthe British the opportunity to display those administrative powers which have so quickly transformed foes into | loyal friends. More than anytning lelse in recent history it served to spread the spirit of imperialism and I devotion to the mother country
 throughout the empire on which the l sun never sets.
 This was particularly true of Canada, land Canadian imperialism may almost
 be said to date from the beginning i of the South African conflict Before
 that time, the Canadians had never manifested any great enthusiasm for
 helping to fight Britain's battles. In dividual Canadians had won fame in the military service of England. There
 have been Canadians in practically ev-
 cry great battle fought by England in
 have been officers. In the Crimean
 war Canada did little beyond the en- listment of the Hundredth regiment.
 A few Cana dianss served under Lord
 Roberts in the Afghan war. and
 French-Canadfan voyageurs, paid from
 imperial funds, served under Lord
 Wolsoley in his expedition up the Nile I for the relief of Khartum. In the war
 of 1872 and the Papineau and Fsie1 re-
 bellions, Canadians proved that they
 were good soldiers and many of them l fought with the North in ths American
 civil war.
 There was no considerable precedent
 for the offer of Canadian troops to be
 sent to South Africa, however and
 the wild enthusiasm which greeted
 their acceptance and the departure of
 the contingents for the front was prac- tical1y a new manifestation of the
 Dominion's loyalty to the Britisk
 Crown. This enthusiasm for the Brit l. ish cause was so universal that it ut , terly destroyed the last lingering Rope
 of the annexationists that Canada a
 might join the United States.
 On the bloody fields of South Africa
 the Canadians performed acts of hero ism and valor which will live long
 in the annals of warfare. Especially
 was the true of the men of the North
 west Mounted Police. a number o1