Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-12-12
CRUELTY IN
AFRICA REVEALED
From the London Spectator.

From the London Spectator.
The Report on the Natives of
Southwest Africa and Their Treatment
by Germany, by e. H. NJ. Gorges. ad-
ministratOr of the conquered territory
for the Union of South Africa, is M
of the most terrible exposures of Ger
man brutality. treachery and immoral
fly that ever this war has brought us.
Painful necessity has made us only
too familiar with the authentic stories
of German atrocities committed "by
order" wherever German troops have
penetrated in Belgium or northern
France. Italy, Serbia, Rumania or Rus
sia. Yet there is something peculiar
ly nauseating in this dispassionate mar
rative Of German misruie in southwest
Africa between 1890 and 1914, when
Germany, with the good will Of all the
powers, was free to develop in her own
way the new and fertile colony, inhab-
tied by prosperous and intelligent ma
tiv etribes, which she had annexed.
It is repulsive also to find that the
real authors of these crimes feel no
shame. DR.. Solf, the German colonial
secretary. has lately been boasting Of
Germany's merits in 1.-The protection
of the colored races" as If southwest
Africa. for example,. had been a para
disc instead of hell on earth. Yet.
though we cannot undo the past and
restore to life the tens Of thousands of
natives whom the Germans robbed and
then slaughtered 'by order" in the vain
hope of creating a new Germany" we
have at least the consolation of know
ing that her evil work in southwest
Africa n her other lost colonies is
finished. We care not who may be
chosen to guide the destinies of these
nonn1oS n0yy Hhorafo6 Inv thu o11{oc on
long as they are freed forever from the
1oathsome domination Of Berlin.
The first German governor, Francois.
who took up his post in 1890, made
hirnsel notorious in 1893 by suddenly
attacking the encampment Of the
peaceful Hottentot Chief Witbooi at
Hornkranz and slaughtering all the
sleeping men. women and children who
could NJ escape by flight. 1t was a
foul deed which had the effect Of alien
ating once for all the largest tribe in
the protectorate, hat of the Ovambos
in the north. who thenceforward kept
Che Germans VI of their country.
Francois in 1894, found the whole coun-
try disturbed. His first exploit was the
treacherous murder of a Hottentot
chief, Andreas Lambert; his next step
was to bring ON a war with Witbooi.
who surrendered on terms and served
the Germans Loyalty until his patience
was exhausted. Leutwein. who COM
placently narrated the history Of his
governorship in a book. and who COM
planned that he was overruled by SUI
perior orders from Berlin whenever he
wanted to show moderation towards
the natives. was perhaps less of a sav-
age tina his successor. Trotha, but 1t
was under his rule that the numerous
and thriving Herero people was brough:
to ruin.
Stole Natives Cattle.
The Hereros We're famous cattle
breeders. The German colonists COW
eted their herds. The governor there
fore nominated a sham Herero chief
who would do anything for a key OF
rum. and imposed on him a treaty
drawing an imaginary border line be-
tween German land and Herero land
All Herero cattle "straying" across this
border were tobe ~impounded and sold
BY this trick the best Herero grazing
lands were confiscated, with the cattle
on them.
Not content with this, the German
traders, with official encouragement
went about robbing the Hereros over
the border of their cattle, sometimes
paying them derisory sums or giving q
few cheap garments in return. Thu
Germans did not scruple to seize the
Hereros' sacred CATTLE" which were
inalienable by tribal law. and. with tina
appalling lack OF decency which we
now know to be a German characters
tic. they deliberately desecrated the
sacred burial place of the Herero chiefs
by cutting down the grove and turn
ing the place into a vegetable garden
German farmers employing Hereros
were allowed to treat them cruelty.
TIL edeath of a native after a severe
beating was not regarded as murder
though Major Leutwein observes tina
the natives could o understand such
subtle distinctions TIE truth was
hat the Germans feared the Hereros
Prot. Kari Dove, then director of land
settlement. wrote that. though the in
dividual Herero was not very brave
the chief danger from them is their
numbers. and their numbers are a
standing to our safety The
professors maxim that "Leniency to-
wards the natives is cruelty to the
whites" became proverbial. and was
duly acted upon.
The Hereros. maddened by a fresh
series Of exactions. rose IN revolt in
1904. Major Leutwetn defeated the
main h00v and rnuld hnVn VneAn <AesMs