New-York tribune., 1918-01-22

tribes. Not long ago they were nern....,
at war, and when they fought they wer. ~.
cous, wild beasts. By nature they cara ,,.. l.,,
for life. Their disregard for death so,.sa I'VE
be extraordinary. Under white ofF;ce,. !,
could be made into terribly effective ;,,."s
ment Of conquest and destruction. Kn,s.l
this, England has most wisely and mo.. .s 's
verely prohibited all importation of fresrs.
Any one smuggling these in faces the l.'a, d..a,
penalty. Even visiting sportsmen ma, a@ M
carry sporting rifle Of Il calibre that ~, n''
military ammunition. These things b.;,~ .aAes
let any one fancy what the developne,. ~ ~
German military zone betting Africa t..s
sea to sea must mean for the continsr,
Germany could create out Of her Eas. A..
can tribes splendid war weapon. ot 49,
there can be no doubt. In those regions 80
black man has only lately met the wbite ,,.s
He has not yet learned to distinguish be,uao.
men of the white nations. The white u.n
him, is just the great white Bwana (mas..ue
armed with irresistible power, charged w;.L
life and death. He bows to him without cn."
ton. To him he seems god. He know. ~
other god.
Yes, Germany could do what she liked ,r.,
these poor children Of dark land-bnS thon
to her will, discipline them and make tSa,.
terrible in battle. And if her will were cor
quest and mastery-as, alas, al the worla
knows it to be to-day-then adieu! lons
adieu! to all peaceful advancement in tbo
largest and most backward Of the quarters NJ
the earth.
Lastly: Will the Africander living to nor..
or to south of German territory submi. u
such new and terrible inroad, such war.
making power and purpose? He has travelea
far before he has chosen this newest mi,
least developed, land for his home He is M
warrior He knows no thirst for copous,,
or martial glory When he does 90 TO var
he only goes because he must. He only 6gbts
to insure for himself and his children a 81.
cure and peaceful home in the Wild
No nan surely has better right to speas
for all Afrcanders, no man has spoken NOR.
plainly, than has General smuts He led hi.
Beers against the English, ard when, afte-
their defeat and surrender, England wisely
gave back to the Beers their freedom he led
the very same hard btted fighting mer
against the Germans, first in the southwes,
and then in German East Africa. He led not
only the Beers, but the volunteer settlers Of
British East Africa, Of Rhodesia and of tse
Cape. lie speaks for all Of them TO-DAY. as;
be says:
Africanders Must Decide
~A~ N4"poSoi VI 1SluidHy African Colo
mes must be decided by Afrcanders They
VIII rot tolerate on their frontiers mitar
German colony. No European council has ths
right or the power to decide this matter FOR
them Their homes and their freedom must
never again know the costly menace of Ger.
many's armed might"
England could not, even if she would give
back those colonies to an autocratic and m
repentant Germany.
AS to the native Africans say in this mat
ter, frankly, I must confess that. though the
English Premier and our President have
dropped hints Of consu tation Of native
opinion, no one who knows the country could
admit the possibility of it, The native tribes
of Central and East Africa are scattered and
unrelated. They a very long way yet
from having reached that point where thsn
opinion could be had. If il could be had i
would be of no value. Government, or at Least
wise and patient direction. they must have
from outsiders for many years 70 come All
the more important, therefore, is il to save
them from a cynical autocracy that PURPOSES
to plunge them, if necessary to its unscrupu-
lous ambition, into the abyss of war, SO press
ing them back into savagery out Of which,
after nlllennuns of darkness. they at last
are just beginning to emerge.
Camden, S. c., Jan. Is, 1918