New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-15
No Rider Haggard Novel Holds
More Stirring Plot Than the
Story of the Treason of De
Wet and the Triumph of
New Empire ON the
Dusty Veldts of
Africa.

with the object OF inducing officers and ne.
to refuse to resist the rebels or to carry Oh,
the lawful orders of the constitutional author.
tiles. To complete the parallel, General Botha,
reluctance to force the issue and his ndiG.r.
ence TO provocation in the initial stages Dor.
a strong resemblance to Mr. Asquths policy
Of wait and see"
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES THE C0NsPTR.
ATORS
The rebellion was not casual outburst; |,
was carefully planned conspiracy by men in
the government service who had full knowl.
edge of the governments plans and who w.r.
able to use the machinery OF the postoHe.
free of charge ION his majesty's service for
their reasonable correspondence. For II.
first six weeks they played upon the super
sttions OF the Back Veldt Beers by manipuls,
ing the Authorizations OF an terate farm.
who, on the strength of his visions, had &C.
quired the reputation OF prophet This e..
fort in thaumaturgcs ended disastrously IN
the course of their stage management the con.
sprators fell into police trap set for gang
OF motor bandits, and, thinking that the trap
had been set for themselves, they sought to
burst through the police Gordon, with the re.
suit that the venerable and chivalrous De Ia
Rey who knew nothing of the plot, was sho,
dead. For few days panic drove them to
cover, but gradually the grim irony Of the &C.
cident dawned upon them. They gathered I'd
the threads of their plot, and soon Beyers
Maritz and De Wet were in active rebellion
rousing the country, communicating food and
supplies and cutting up the railways. It took
General Botha exactly two months 10 round
them up. He could have done it in less. bu,
he spent some weeks trying to negotiate
peaceful surrender The conquest Of German
Southwest Africa occupied him a further six
months.
PROTECTION FOR THE WOMEN AND Chill.
DREN.
II was a great soldier who planned and car.
ried out the campaign, but it was gres,
statesman who issued the various proclama'
tons to the rebels and to the Germans. Every
door was left open for the rebels TO return,
and a generous amnesty was offered. When
he occupied Windhoek, after marching through
desert in which the wells had been poisoned
his first care was for the German women and
children He wired home a stern rebuie TO
the mob-valiant patriots who had taken ad'
vantage of his absence 10 wreck and loot Ger
man premises in johannesburg and Cape Town
After accepting the surrender OF the whole OF
the German forces he issued an order TO the
Union forces in Damaraland reminding them
that "self-restraint, courtesy and consideration
for the feelings OF others on the part OF troops
whose good fortune it is TO be yictors are es'
sential" When he struck he struck with all
his might; but he was never vindlctive, never
harsh, and he always sought Cancellation. The
ideal of a united South Africa, in which all
races and parties should live together IN neigh
borly accord, was never absent from his mind
What is to be the future of this farmer-sol'
dier-st statesman whose heroic figure dwarts the
little idols of yesterday like Cecil Rhodes
There is already talk of an earldom and $780,
600. But would he take it? Would George
Washington have accepted crown? An earl
dom is not such big thing on the veldt asH
sounds in London. It is more important tna'
General Botha should sit upon the Imperial
Council, which, it is now clear, must be one Of
the most important results of this war his
career did not end at Vereeniging, nor IS II
likely to end with the conquest Of Southwest
Africa. There is work for him still in the new
empire which is being constructed.