A GOOD CHARACTER FOR THE FREE STATERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 180, 31 July 1900, Page 5

A GOOD CHARACTER FOR THE FREE STATERS.

"Smiler" Hnles, whose interesting letters to the "Daily News" have been quite the' feature of that journal's war correspondence, endeavours in his latest epistle to the metropolitans to correct the prevalent impression of Brother Boer. That is, he says, a libel.

"Smiler" of course has been six months studying- the people of whom he writes, and may be permitted to speak with some authority. Still, as he admits, his knowledge is all Free State knowledge, and it may be that the Free Stater has little in common with the Transvaaler. In the lignt of Bullet's latest despatch with his strong condemnation of the "filthy ingenuity" of the Boers in desecrating private property in north Natal, it would appear that the Free Staters are of a. very different - kidney. Against them no allegations such as Buller makes against the men he has been tracking have been made. "Smiler's" character for the Free Staters ought to be given wide publicity. He says: "I want to state here that I have never lost a single opportunity whilst travelling through, the enemy's country of looking at the 'home' life of these people, and I may say that I have been in a few backcountry homes in America, in Australia, and in other parts of the world, and I want to 'place it on record that- in my opinion the Boer farmer is as clean in his home life, as loving in his domestic arrangements, as pure in his morals as any class "of people I have ever met. Filth may abound, but I have seen nothing ot it. Immorality may be the ' common everday occurrence I have seen it depicted in some, British journals, ' but I have failed to find trace of.it. Ignorance; as black aslhe inside of a dog, may be the prevailing state of affairs; if so, I have been one <of the lucky few Svho have found just the/reverse in whichsoever direction I. have turned. After six months, or nearly six ■ months'," close and careful observation of their habits, I have arrived, at the conclusion that the Boer farmer/and his son and daughter, will compare very . favourably with the farming folk of ' Australia, America and Great Britain. What he may be in the-Transvaal I know not, because I have not yet been there, but in Cape Colony and in the. Free. State he is much as,l have depicted him, no better, no worse, ..than Americans and Australians, and as 'good a fighting man as either, which is tantamount to saying he is as good as anything on God's green earth if he only had military training.

'Ask "Tommy" privately, when he comes home, if this is not so—not "Thomas," who has been on lines of communication all the time, but "Tommy " who has fought him, and measured heart and hand with him. I think he will tell you much as I have told you."