DE WET AND HIS BROTHER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4307, 16 March 1901, Page 2

DE WET AND HIS BROTHER.

AN APPEAL TO END IT. ■'ENOUGH BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED/’ The following letter has been sent, says ; the "Cape Times” of 11th February, from Piet De Wet to his brother, Commandant Christian De Wet: Bindley, 11th January, 1901. Dear Brother,'—l take the liberty to write you this letter,- and first of all I request yon to read it. From ma. I hear you are so angry with me that you have decided to kill me should you hnd me. • May God not allow it that you should have the opportunity to shed more innocent blood. Enough has been shed already. As far as X can understand, I am accused by you ,of high treason; but allow me for a moment to put the matter before you in its true light, and read this unprejudiced, using the common sense the Lord has given you. When I saw at last that wo v, ere beaten by the British forces, and that it was a hopeless case to regain what wc had lost, what did Ido then? Did I lay down my ajras in an indifferent way ? No, I wrote a letter to the President, requesting him to consider terms of peace, and rather surrender than ruin the country and let the people starve. I wrote this to the President, because he was the proper person to make peace. Let him testify to this whether I speak the truth or not. After that, I was with you for more than a month, during which time I became more convinced that it would be bettor for our people to lay down their arms and submit themselves to-God’s will, saving themselves in this way for the future. During that time also I tided to do my duty, where it was necessary, and where au engagement took place I never lagged behind as, for instance, in the battle of Sohietmakaar, where I. with Commandant Prinsloo charged the guns when we were so shameful I v left in the lurch by General Froneman, who, instead of charging at this point, according to agreement, fled (to-day he is the very man who shoots Mr Morgenthal in cold blood. Don’t forgot that there is a God, and that He does not 81 When I was'at last convinced that I could no longer he responsible for further loss of life in such a hopeless struggle. I left vou without trying to make others follow me. except my staff, from whom I could not hide it. When General Prinsloo surrendered, and Harriemith and Vrede were occupied, when the Volksraad existed no longer, and the only two members of the Executive Council who had still been with the President resigned and surrendered to the British forces, so that there could be no legal Government any more. I thought that the war would be at an end. I was also convinced tbat the Transvaal Government and the Council of War were in favour of making peace. And what do I see now ? That you and President Stoyn carry on a guerilla war. This made me write a letter to Lord Kitchener, dated 11th December. 1900, requesting him to give me the opportunity to come to the Free State and try to persuade even if it were only some men to lay down their arms, that peace could he restored, and further bloodshed’ prevented, there being no Government in the Orange Free State any longer against whom I could commit high treason. After we had lost everything I tried to find out whether our cause was right and pure, because the hand of the Lord was turned against us. First I thought, is there no God to let justice triumph! Must the strongest man be master? In the first place, we declared war against England, contrary to God’s word, a kingdom twenty times as strong ns we are.—Luke xiv., 31. Secondly, we crossed our borders, invaded the colonies, attacked them, destroyed private properly, annexed parts of the colonies, and forced the inhabitants to take up.arms .against their lawful Government.

And when God's hand was turned against us. what did we do then ? We sent a deputation to Europe to find help, and exclaimed that England had done us an injustice by invading our country with a. large force to rob us of our independence, as. if we had not done it first to them, and by so doing justified the action. You could say’ that the English policy was such that it necessitated our declaring war. Well, be iteo; but even then it is not right to do as wo have done. In the first place it is contrary to God’s word, and secondly it is impolitic. Could" wo for a moment think of taking back the country, should it he offered us in its state of destruction, and with thousands of people who have to he supported by a Government that has not a farthing, and a debt of £5,000,000 or .£6,000.000? Even if wo could get help from Europe, could wo for a moment think that there would he a nation so mad as to have thousands of men -killed, and spend millions to win the country hack, and then, out of love for us. give ns the republics and the necessary capital to govern them ? I pray yon once more put all passionate feeling aside for a moment and use common sense. Yon/vill then agree with me that the -best thing for the people of the country is to give in, and be loyal to the new Government, to try and get Responsible Government as soon as the finances of- the country allow it—as in the Cape Colony and Natal—and by so doing, to govern the country virtually ourselves, to have our children properly educated, and save our people as a nation for the future of South Africa. On the contrary, should this unfortunate war continue a few months longer, the whole nation will become so poor—as a great portion already is—that they will bo the working class of the country’, and in that way disappear as a nation, in the future. I have also heard that the reasonable notices of Lord Kitchener and the attempts made by myself and others are looked upon by yon as signs of weakness oh the part of the British forces. When you cornered 50 soldiers in a kraal at Blaanwbank, when you did the same to 400 at Mosterdlioek. and when you surrounded a small body of men with some waggons at Ehenoster River, • and, under a flag of truce, asked them to surrender willingly, was it weakness on your side, or was it a magnanimous deed? Judge righteously, now—it is just the same with the British. They are convinced that they have conquered the land and people, and consider the matter ended. They only try to treat those who still carry on a hopeless struggle magnanimously, in order to prevent unnecessary bloodshed.

If you do not consider the State, you are insensible, and act insensibly. I fear the consequences in the future, and pitj' my nation. Are you blind? Can yon not see that you are- being deceived by the Transvaal generals and burghers? What are they doing? They do not light a. tenth part as - much as we do, and the country is not so ruined as the Free State. In general,' they are inclined tolay down their arms; they are only waiting to see what you are going to do. The moment you give in, or falL or are captured, they will at once surrender. Oh! 1- pray you again, my brother, just consider your State before you proceed further, and do not judge me upright': 311 sly because I beseech you to do it. Expecting the best, I remain, your brother. (Signed). P. D. DE WET.