THE SOUTH AFRICAN TROUBLE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10568, 14 February 1902, Page 3

THE SOUTH AFRICAN TROUBLE.

Reslstanoe of the Beers. What It Arises Prom. Why the Boers Continue the War. The Natal correspondent of the "Times," writing' from Maritzburg, on November 3, offered the following explanations of the obstinacy of the Boer resistance. 'He says: — "Take the case of the Boer generals. Dieie would probably have Ion? since thrown up the sponge, -but for loyalty to' the rebels. • The Republican leaders in responsible for having enlisted the service* of the rebels in the Republican cause, the motto of 'Africa or the Afrikanders.' The bulk of the ;nemy's force* operating in Cape Coljny consists of rebels. To surrender .rithont protecting the rebels would be looked upon as the height of contemptble meanness by all Afrikanders of 3ro-Boer sympathies, and would proluce such a- revulsion of feeling on the part of the colonial rebel* against the Sepnblicans as would be the best of jafeguards against any future rising on ' the part of Dutch colonists. But just is the leaden dare not sacrifice those ■ebels who have risked all in. their »use, neither can loyalists afford to let a premium upon future rebellion by making so light of this rebellion as jrould be the case were anything short of an unconditional surrender accepted now. We have thus to face the truth— which is, that neither side. can accept >eace on any terms that the other can Vrant, and there is nothing left but to rely upon the effects of attrition. THE AVERAGE BOER. "Looking next to the ranks, the chief reasons operating to keep them' in the ield may be classed under two headings — their credulity and their incredulity—and the two overlap and react each , upon the other. The average Boer is ready to believe everything ne is told by anyone in whom he has confidence, i confidence easily won by one of his ma -people. He is just as incredulous of anything coming from a Britisher whom he does- not jmow well; and ea- ' pecially of anything emanating from the British Government. For the word of the latter he has nothing but contempt. ,T© understand the view he cakes, one must remember the many occasions upon -which the Afrikander has been deceived. Take only a few 'zrlarine examples. When slavery was abolished in Cape Colony they were , promised compensation. That compensation they afiege they have never received in full. Again, after the 1577 annexation of the Transvaal, Lord (then Sir Garnet) Wolaley said that /so long as the sun would shine the British flag would fly over the Transvaal,' and, again, in 1880, Lord Kimberley, - then 'Secretary of State for the Colonies, Itelegraphed in May— Tinder no circumstances can the Gueen'a authority in the Transvaal be relinquished. Yet, in 1881, the following -year, the British Government surrendered the Transvaal after Matnba, to the complete desertion of hundreds of Afrikanders who had believed in the British Government's word and had regained loyal, only to earn the opprobrium of their race and to suffer ruin, md to become rebels in this war. Then, to bring matters closer up to date, look at some of the instances of what the Boers regard as breach of faith provided during the war. When Lord Koberts took Bloemfontein, he took a aew departure in the conduct of the war, an experimental, attempt to introduce altruism. Instead of keeping his prisoners of war, he wished them to take the oath of neutrality and go back to live on their farms and be good boys in future. Many protested that they dare not go back, or their friends, our enemy, would come and punish them for not returning to commando. They were then assured that they should be protected. Under that assurance they were induced to go back to their farms. Lord Roberts discovered that he could not protect them. The enemy visited them, tied them to cart-wheels, flogged them, made them go on their knee* and swear -to return to commando and fight. Again, Lord Kitchener issued a proclamation that all Boers caught in khaki would be liable to be shot. The Boers do not grasp fine distinctions between 'being liable to be shot' and 'shall be ahot,' and I have had it thrown in my teeth that, as many have been captured in khaki since that proclamation who have not been shot. This is another instance of British lies ! "I have said enough from the Boer point of view to account for the contempt felt by the Boers for any statements emanating 'from the British authorities. This will account for the little effect produced by British proclamations, and, secondly, should snow why any attempt on our part to negotiate must be received by the Boers with derision as to its bona fides, or as a sure indication that we are anxious to put our historic and 'only principle' in foree — that of 'giving way/ INFLUENCE OF FABRICATIONS. "On the other hand, the Boers being as credulous- in the case of their" own people as they are incredulous of any statements emanating from the British authorities, it is easy to understand how their commandant* can turn these traits to account by a free indulgence in those fabrications of which we have had so many examples during the war. Let me give a few samples which" may not ue generally known yet at home. "Nearly all our chief generals have been said to heve been captured and released on parole, and the following fabrications are to this day implicitly believed by the Boers. General Buller they say, was captured and taken to Pretoria under escort, and given 10 days in which to leave the country, being released on that understanding. Two Germans at present, or recently, in Durban give out that they served in his escort. The Boers say they respect General Buller because he has kept his parole. "Then they tell a very circumstantial story about General French having, together with 2000 troops, been surrounded and captured in a fog near New Amsterdam, in the south-east of the Transvaal. They brought him and the troops to Standertbn, where the troops were released, and also General French, who gave his parole not to fight again in the Transvaal; hence he is now m Cape Colony, and cannot return to ths> Transvaal. For Continuation of Reading Matter Pagtl

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