COAXING THE BOERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7202, 13 September 1901, Page 2

COAXING THE BOERS.

OUR GOVERNMENT'S ANTIBRITISH POLICY. (By SINCLAIR HOWIE, in the "Daily Mail. 1 ") PRETORIA. It- were idle to disguise the fact that the pment position of affairs in South Africa is regarded by British subjects with rleci>cr suspicion and keener vmxiety than has been manifested since the outbreak of hostilities. The germ of niis.tru.st lias baen fostered in its growth by the policy of that Government which has vowed so often," to see the business through." To British colonists, and even to two-thirds of our Army, the position is inexplicable, unless on two hypotheses, viz. : one, that Lord' Kitchener's hands are absolutely subserviant to diplo- I ! matic exigencies at Hume, or that he is I professionally incompetent to deal with tha situation. These are the only two explanations admissible. The indictment is strong, but unfortunately can be most convincingly demonstrated by aiir one acquainted with the facts. I gruniblc mit as a correspondent at the vagaries of censorship. There is no more uneviable stuff appointment than that o? Press censor. CLEMKXCY THE CURSE. Were a proper course adopted, which has been .«o frequently advocated, this apparently interminable- war would be- concluded in two months time. By all the laws cf civilised warfare, the remnant of the Boer army still in the field are no longer beligircnts but banditti, and ought, to be treated as such. Tho day of clemency and generosity, if it ever existed, has long since gone by. * The Boer maumider.* we have now :o deal with are dss-pcrate men, whose <leeds warrant them in tho belief their leaders have sought to inculcate, thab they can expect little mercy from us \i caught. The majority of them' are surrendered burghers who have broken their parclc, and rebels. Tie remainder are men who have nothing to lose, bub much to dread .should they fall into our hands. We, who have been on many a bloody battltfield, and have realised" to the full the horrors of war, can only see one method of stopping the murders that arc being perpetrated under the name of war, and that is to shoot every one of them at sight after due warning has bsen given. True it is that this policy would cut both ways, but I leave it to any military man n> state whether the ultimate cost in British blood would lfot be considerably less tha<:i pursuance of the present method of concluding the campaign. There are no longer big fights with thi attendant heavy casualty lists. That ha* gone by, bub there are numberless litth skirmishes occurring daily representing a heavy drain in lives. This, however, is only one reason, though » powerful one surely, for that feeliug of distrust which animates the minds' of loyalists in South Africa.. There are other reasons. MONSTROUS RED TAPE. Perhaps, after nil, tho most bitter feelings have been evoked by the •manner in which the axitfoorities have dealt with the returning population. Up to the present it has not been a. case of British first and 'the enemy a bad second, but the Boers firsb and the British nowhere. The facts speak for themselves. Thousands of tho enemy on parole, after having been removed to the coast, have been allowed back to -their homes, and, if >no British troops were there, they have been allowed to inhabit the towns. Men who ihave fought for their country right through the war in one or other of the irregular corps hare taken 'their discharge in Pretoria or Johannesburg, where their homes and businesses were. Under martial law, however, these men on returning to civil life are inquired to possess a residential p-ass. Only men who secure Government situations are granted the necessary permit. Nineteen out of every twenty are compelled 'to return to the coast. If they were surrendered' burghers they could remain in their homes and resume their occupations; but, coming under tire disqualifying term of "British," they are packed over the •border; Such action appears monstrous, yet notwithstanding it is true. Only last, week about a. score of men belonging to Kitchener's Fighting Scouts took their discharge in Pretoria after having completed the period for -which they enlisted. They were granted railway passes'* to proceed to Johannesburg, but could get no train the same evening, and were perforce compelled to remain in Pretoria that night. The hotel in which they slept was raided by the provost-marshal and his men. All the culprits were arrested and fined 1 £2 each tho following morning for being in town without, tho necessary residential permit. This is the gratitude shown to our own irregulars whose services hare admittedly been of the utmost value. They, unfortunately, were "British." Can i 6 be wondered if thesa men regret their loyalty to their country when they are treated in a manner so harsh and unjustifiable? NO BRITISH WANTED. Where you have towns populated almost wholly by surrendered burghers one would imagine common prudence would dictate the equalising of matters by allowing men of tried loyalty to remain in the country. The very opposite course; however, lias been pursued. Meanwhile these exburghers are quietly laughing at the manner in which the authorities have excluded every possible British subject from -the country, throwing what business is being done entirely into their hands. Even with the temporary civil service that, has been formed, it. ia within tho truth to state that leps thiwi. fifty per cent of the employees are British subjects. It would appear a, childish* policy to have so strict a censorship on all matters and) yet employ -as servants, in positions where vuluable information can- be obtained, men iv ho have fought agaiinst us, and whose bitter hatred of everything British lias ! only been made subservient to their pockets. In palliation it is stated that British subjects cannot be secured. Considering thab every British subject the authorities can possibly manage to send ■over the border is »o dealt with, it is not surprising that the civil service lias to be mainly composed of our enemies, time, servers who will readily sell their inforniiution to the highest bidder. A few m'OTCths ago, when Lord Kitchener had 1 to narrow an. 'escape 'of being captures by 'the ■enemy, his 'movements were kept most profoundly seoret. Only 'on dids leaving one point was the fact communicated to the next station. Yet the Boers knitw and followed l his movements. One of the recently-appointed 1 permaneat 'officials, Jittad of an important department, arrived in Pretoria, some weeks ago with ;o surrenderedburgher a.s his private secretary. Such instances ure, however, «!!imost. 'too fxmunon to evoke more than passing comment litre. The diairman) of an important committee in Pretoria is a man who has been repeatedly struck off the rolls, even; under the corrupt regime of the old! Government, who 'has been " wanted " badly by the police botli of Cape Colony -ainidi Natal, and who couldi only have flourished as he has done in a country where knavery was at a, premium. He-, fortunately, i-v not a British ..subJEct, and is therefore 'treated with the kindest, coiisMeration, as tiha enemy must bo conciliated at all cost;?. FOE WHAT HAVE WE FOUGHT? At the 'time when the recent peace negotiations were being conducted' every effort was made to keep 'the terms proposed from leaking out. WhEm. the itooine. papers ultimately arrived with full reports of the proposals there was bulb one question asked by regular and iireguT.'aa 1 alike, " For what toffe v^i~«_£2" iL&.liaxQ truth itu state thtab

had these proposals been accepted Britain would have lost South Africa. Only by tllie assistance of irregulars has the country conquered, and were the hoipes of theso men once mure *to b£> rudely dis-pelle-d a united South Africa, under another Hag than, the Umion Jack would be the result. It is difficult for you Home people to realise how strongly South Africans fsel on this matter oral) how swe a. subject it is to them. Instead 1 of realising this the military authorities have shut their eyes to it and even gone out, of 'their way to nrj.ike the tension greater. There has been much j pseud o sympathy raised! on behalf of the poor oppressed Boer, but, truth to UH, the position of British subjects might call forth truer sentiment. The latter ask for no measures of stem vengeance. Pleased tlhey would be if placM on the same footing as brother Boer, a Modest deroamd surely, ytt one the- authorities so far have declined to aceedi to. j Magnanimity has been carried) over the ' verge of farce, and our own people are being treated with cruel injustice. Much £s hoped for <-n the return of Lord Milner. Al3Uyes are turned towards ham as to the shadow of a rock in the noontide sun. He understands the situation in all its complexity, and he alone command's the confidence the British Government would otherwise vainly look for. _____________