THE VALUE OF A FIGHT TO THE FINISH

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1509, 31 January 1901, Page 62

THE VALUE OF A FIGHT TO THE FINISH

HOW GERMANY WOULD DEAL WITH THE BOERS.

In the Franco-German War, Prince Bismarck adopted very severe measures towards the Franc-tireurs. These Franctirenrs acted independently, as the Boers are doing, in assailing the lines of communications, and the Germans refused to regard them or treat them as legitimate belligerents. In 1810, Massena issued an order that members of the Ordenanza, a corps of Portuguese ununiformed irregulars, should be shot if captured, and the Germans, moreover, insisted in 1874 that the Franc-tireurs should wear some distinguishing mark which could not* be removed or hidden at will.o ' • •' • ■ : •"

Tire reason for this was that these Franc-tireurs, after destroying some railway bridge or blowing up the railway line, returned to their farms or cottages* and assumed the character of non-com-batants, as so many of the Boers havedone and are still doing. The German also held the inhabitants of occupied districts or towns responsible for all damage done, and a proclamation was issued, “declaring that all houses affording shelter to Frane-tireurs would be burn-' ed unless the Mayor of the Commune informed the nearest Prussian. officer of

their arrival in the commune; all com--munes in which injury was suffered by. railways, telegraphs, bridges, or canafe were to pay a special contribution, not-, withstanding that- such injury might haypi been done by others than the inhabitants, and even without their knowlege.” When the bridge of Fontenoy ,was de®y troyed in- 1871 the German Governor? of Lorraine at once had the whole vilh lage of Fontenoy burned to ..the rounds and the district of Lorraine,, in had to pay a fine of 10,000,000 francs.. The measures now being adopted in South' Africa, although severe, are much mild-' er than the practice of warfare such agf is new being conducted by the BoCre allows, and the provocation is much great-' er than ever it was in 1870-71, when th© Germans invaded French territory. The Boer leaders, however, seen- determined to fight on t-cy the bitter end, and, if this is their choice, to the bitter end the struggle must be fought. It is unfortunate that such should be their choice, from many points of view; ;butin the end the result will almost certainly be good. If the Boers had surrendered after Paardeberg, or even after the) capturd of Pretoria-, thousands or them, says the “Natal Mercury,” would have retained the feeling that they have not been really beaten, and would have kept up the vain hope of a rising at the first likely opportunity. A man who is only half-beaton in any contest, as a rule, SB more eager to test his strength against his opponent the second time than the first, and, therefore, despite all the hardships and disastrous consequences of the prolonged character of the resistance of. the Boers, the chances are that it will turn out best in the end. The Boers have chosen to fight to, a finish, and a fight of this character leaves the one defeated so exhausted and prostrate that a renewal of the struggle is put outside the range of practicability for many years, and time is thus allowed for the rancour and hatred engendered by ’ the war to be effaced by a natral process. . When the Boer prisoners of war finally return to their homes, they will not have time to “nurse their wrath to keep it warm.’ 7 They will not have the weapons to fight, and must selb to work to obtain the means to live. In fi-ghting- to the end, therefore, the guarantee is all the greater that when peace comes it will be more lasting than if surrender had taken place six months ago, when —oer organisation, both military and civil, was only injured, not destroyed. The process of fighting to the death is of course an extremely painful one, but on the whole there is very good reason for believing that it will turn out for the best in the end.