New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-15
Bv A. MacCULLOM SCOTT, NJ P,


-HE conquest OF German Southwest
Africa by General Boiha is in itself
great feat of arms 1t took the
British Empire, with all its resources
nearly three years to conquer two small Soel
republics-the Transvaal and the Orange
River Free State General Botha has subdued
rebellion and conquered German colony a;
large as the German Empire in Europe in ten
months At the beginning he had only 1000
trained men at his disposal. He was handi-
capped by the treason of the commandant gen
eral of the active citizen force OF the union
and by a civil war in which some 10000 armed
citizens took the field against him. He was
matched against the greatest military power
in the world, which had fully trained force
of 10000 men and a large accumulation OF ar
tillery and ammunition. He won not merely
by the brute force of superior arms, but by
the exercise of superior military genius.
General Botha's campaign is a great mill
tary exploit, but in its historical setting it is
something far greater than that. 1t is the cu-
mination of a great spiritual drama 1t marks
an epoch in the history of the British Empire.
Like the Reformation or the English Civil
War or the French Revolution or the Ameri-
can Rebellion or the American Civil War; it
represents a great conflict of ideals, and with
it is associated gigantic personality in which
the forces of destiny have been focused as in
Martin Luther, Oliver Cromwell, Napoleon
Bonaparte, George Washington and Abraham
Lincoln.
Louis Botha is the greatest imperial states
man that the British Empire has produced
since George Washington, and, for Britain, the
conquest Of German Southwest Africa is
more important event than the American Re
bellion. 1t is the converse of what happened
in 1875 Then we lost an empire through at
tempting to found it on an unsound principle.
But there was nothing to tell us that 1t was
only the principle adopted and not the idea
Of a colonial empire itself which unsound.
Disraeli's often quoted phrase about the colo
MES being a milestone hung around our necks
was the aftermath of the American Rebellion.
South Africa is an empire gained by the oppo-
site principle This will have a profound in
fuence upon the whole course of imperial de-
velopment. 1t establishes firmly a new tradi-
ton which will be deeply rooted in the popular
mind reacting on all our imperial relations
and even on India. There has always been
strong party which opposed what was known
as imperialism" 1t will disappear now that
Imperialism" has taken a significance.
We know now with certainty our imperial des-
tiny.
And yet by how narrow margin was sue
cess separated from failure 1t is well on in
the second century since the revolt Of the
American Colonies, and yet we stood within
hairsbreadth OF losing South Africa through
the same false principle of empire. The old
tradition fought up to the last. There were
few days when everything hung in the balance
and Sir Henry Campbell Bannorman held the
scales
CHINESE LABOR FORCED UPON THE COLONY.
The peace OF Vereeniging ended the war
with the Boer republics but it did not settle
the future of South Africa. The path Of
craftsmanship was beset by deadly lures.
Lord Miner the High Commissioner of the
Crown was apostle of the old tradition,
He gave his support to agitation to secure
the suspension of the constitution in Cape
Colony. Mr. Chamberlain had the insight to
disregard his advice. Lord Miner, however,
was more successful in his attempt to force
quasi-servile Chinese labor upon an unwilling