The Transvaal War.

Otago Witness, Issue 2430, 10 October 1900, Page 15

The Transvaal War.

TO THE EDITOH.

Sir, — In your issue of September 19, in a footnote to a letter by "Peaceful J?rogress," you say tho British elections now about to take place will show m what estimation people who hold opinions like him are held. Now I believe you are light. The Tories are wise in their generation to htiiry on the elections Jaelore tho war madness has time to subside. I ha^e no doubt that many of the opponents oi the war will lo^e their seats, but I venture to think that in a few years the war will be regarded not ojly as a mistake, but as a crime. If we look back to history we find many similar cases. In the American War of Independence we find Lord Chatham and Burke x^rotestnig 1 against the war, Lead Chatham with his dying breath; and in the Russian war Messi& Cobden and Bright wore conspicuous by their opposition to it, and lost their seats m Parliament m consequence. I have no doubt they weie called pro-Kussipns in those days. Now everybody acknowledges they were right. In both cases it was a gre^t waste ol human life and an addition to the national debt, and the result — ■ nothing. In looking back to all the troubles with the Dutch settleis in South Africa, every impartial student of history must come to the conclusion that thsy were mainly caused by the lack of" fairness and good faith on the part of the British Government. To go back to the great trek, the papers tell us it was caused by tho abolition of slavery. Now, iio doubt that had a great deal to do with it, but they don't tell, us the whole story. As everybody knows, the slave-owners were to be paid compensation. Wsih 9 -GrfiY^pmeiii gfficievl was sent round to

value the slaves, and the Dutch naturally tho light they weie to bo paid his -valuation, bat they were only paid one-third of the valuation, ai the fund for the abolition of siavery had become exhausted. Historians tell ua maiiy of tho settlers were entirely luined by abolition. Coming down "to the evenxs.that led up to Aiajuba, we arc told a great deal about- Eoer treachery that is not borne out by facts. What arc the facts ? We find the Bosrs at war with a great native chief in the North, Secocoeni. j\ r o doubt they were hard pressed, but they had bsen quite as haid-pressed before, and came off victorious. "Ultimately, the British Goven.me.at piotessed to be very anxious about the Boeis — airaid they would be overwhelmed by the natives. And while the burghers were all away at the war they sent an armed foice into the Transvaal, and Sir Iheoplnlus Shepstoae issued a proclamation annexing the coiuitiy to the British Crown, but promising that they would have their own Parliament, their own lawb, and, in tact, they -wcutil be governed m a constitutional way. What is the comment of the historian ; CJinfortunately, none of these piomises were ever kept. The Government ot the Transvaal from 1877 to ISBI was a military despotism pure and simple. The jJoers waited patienlly for this constitutional Government. Then they approached tho Governor. He merely laughed at them. They then &cnt a petition to the Queen. It was never acknowledged. They then sent a deputation to England to interview the Home Government, but it was not even received at the Colonial Office. When in England they were advised to n have patience, as there might shortly be a change of Government. They then sent another deputation to England to try the Government again, and failing them, to see -what the leader of the Opposition had to say. They get the same reception at the Colonial OlEce as they had got before, but the iSSO elections were then in full swing, and Mr Gladstone, speaking in Midlothian, denounced the annexation of the Transvaal as organised robbery. The delegates interviewed Mr Gladstone, and he promised, if returned to power, that he would rcstoic in a measure their independence. Mr Gladstone was returned to power, but things remained as they were in the Transvaal. They wiote to Mr Gladstone, reminding him of ma promise. He replied that he was unable to advise the Queen to restoie their independence. The meaning of this was that he could not carry his colleagues with him. Then they broke out into insurrection. Coining down to the present var the last offer made by tho Tiansvaal Government was the franchise after seven years' residence, all other questions to be settled by aibilration. Now let us consider: if England had a quarrel with a great Power would she not be quite willing to settle it by arbitration ; then why not with a weak oxie ? Besides, the Boers did not ask for foreign arbitration, and as ilor the franchise offer it was more liberal than in England, where a foreigner has to leside eight ycirs before he can be natuialised. As to the fiction that we were attacked by the Boers, it is hardly worth discussing, when we remember that the reserves wore called out, over 20,000 soldiers were already in South Africa, and 39,000 were on the sea before the Boer ultimatum was issued. I am afraid the truth is that our dealings with the Dutch in South Africa have not been what they should have been. Take one instance of our dealings with the Free State: I daresay a good many people don't know that Kimberley, before the diamond fields were discovered, belonged to the Free State. Well, when the rush took place to the diamond fields, the British Government sent a force, seized the territoiy, and kept it. President Biand protested in vain. Then he went to London. Some of the press took it up, and he interviewed members oi Parliament; pressure -was brought to bear on the Government, and the Free State v\as given JEIOO.OJO compensation. Now, these are undoubted facts, recorded by English historians, and it is only in the interests of truth chat I now write this letter. You say the Little Englander Party aie responsible for this war. I suppose by that you mean Mr Gladstone, but I think facts show that it was not Mr G-Lid-sunpose by that yoti mean Mr Gladstone. But the first place for interfering m the Trans\ acl at all. And then when they did annex the Transvaal, in not keeping their promises. If the promises made had been kept most his.torians say there would have been no (further trouble, as the Dutch are an eminently practical people, and if they had the substance would not have troubled about the shadow of their independence. Let us look for a moment at the author of the war, Mr Chamberlain. I can remember — I suppose it must be 30 years ago— when, as mayor of Birmingham, it \vas against his principles as a Republican to receive the Prince of Wales when on a visit to that city. A few years afterwards we find him a Radical pnd Home Ruler. Then we find him in Mr Gladstone's Cabinet, and while theic intriguing with the Home Rulers against his chief. Now we find him a Tory of the Tories, \evihng his formei principles and associates. Lord Carrmgton's description of him is pretty good, "A political Esau — a vulgar tuft-hunter." All honoui to such men as Sir William Harcourt, John Morley, Leonard Courtney, Sir Edward Clarke, Sii Robert Reid, and many others who will not sell their opinions and x^'inciples for place and power, but have, in season and out of season, protested against the war. Though they may lose their seats now, the time is coming when they will be held in high honour as those who fought to keep their couiitiy's iccord clean- — I am, etc.,

ANOTHEE LOVER OF PEACE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — I have read the letters of '"Peaceful Progress," also the letter of Ben Waid. These j two correspondents run considerable risk in expressing their views in a country where freedom of speech is not pmmilicd. I recently read a lettci m a jNTuw York paper by a Mr ' Fairlie, a Scotciran living m Falkirk. Ha : said, ''Permit me iv show tou the other side, j First of all, tho Jamison ia:J was a breach | of international law. Tho next thing was that Cecil Rhodf'B and a fev,r cupa'alists spent about ~ a of a, million of money ia arming

every uitlander in Jchanneabm^ The third question was that linger agreecf to reduce the lonise from lo years io seven, and leave the otner conditions to be settled by arbitration Chamberlain said he would have ro arbiC' turn, but he asked for one month to consider t4°o u Ds mm T sa s tir fi r - Uiile f, s y °" ™° s aCleSLc^^Lt^citfor^had no fruit to find wi'.h the Boers n£ * £ generally known thrt some of To a hL' ell" to, Ca^t°n 11 SS a n la ,i *ffi S^ tread over the corpses of 40,000 of his 0 "m corntrymen to obtain a monopoly of the go d Ifi 00 * 2 ? 618 co^\y- ' I coiidef this fte taritest chapter m the hi&torv of Br'tair> I Sv Wrft * SUC^ sfcrra « th of my coun try should have been put forth to wioe out c. existence such a plucky, such a brave' handful 01 unteauied people fighting for theii independence, and not one v/orcl of pity or prai=s irom the nation that in her previous histov seems to have wept for the dorafal! of Poland JJr Janueson recently gave unwittingly the lie to all the Jingoes of the nation when he declared that the Boers we unprepared before the raid. I strongly believe in 'the judgment to come, as mep.tioned by Ben Ward as there was no cause for war at all, only the greed of the few. Are the sufferings of the inlanders ever to be compared with the sufferings of vie four millions of Englishmen who are hungry fiom their birih until they enter tho grove. They (the rulers) would think it a monstrous proposal if it were proposed to spend 60 millions of money to relieve these wants and give them (the hungry ones, their rights. Their mission seems to be not to save but to bill.— l am, etc., ' A LOVER OP JUSTICE.