Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1900 — The Boers and The Britions. [ARTICLE]

The Boers and The Britions.

An Impartial Statement Uy a Distinguished Professor. The following is a brief pynopsis of the speech of ProE. J. H. Judson, of Chicago University, before the Bankers’ Club, of Chicago. Its special and declared purpose was to give an entirely Impartial statement of the war situation in South Africa. Judson’s Views op the War. Professor Judspn, who made the opening speech of the evening, said that he bad become couvinced that there were many facts upon both sides in this case. He maintained that the Dutch colonies were not adverse to the occupation when England first assumed control and that they believe that they would have a far better goverment than they had enjoyed before that time. ‘‘With a wise use of discretion and judgment.” he said, “they could have been made good subjects, but the first British governors were mirtinets who did not understand the feeling of the people they were sent to govern nor respect their rights. The Boers were pestered by two classes of people whom they despised—the missionaries and the abolitionists. Then again they did not see why it was that negroes should not be slaves. The Boers are old testament students, and slavery is an institution of the old testament. Not understanding this they were com pelled to sell their slaves for twothirds their value and lose a part of the payment in London exchange.” Until about twenty years ago the English goverment did not, he said, desire expansion in South Africa, but did not. want protection for property. Speaking of the

second annexation of the- Dutch republic he said that at that time it, had no general form of government, nor a government that had the good of the B iers at heart. He was convinced that England yielded ground in the insurrection of 1881, because she did not then want to govern the Boers. While the speaker admitted that the Holland blood was the best in the world, he said that the people of the 'Transvaal were descended from the Dutch colonists of the frontier who for centuries had been cut off from the currents of life and civilization. The majority of the Transvaal people were ignorant according to present standards and religious, but with the religion of 200 years ago-the religion of intolerance and bigotry. He thought that one of the immediate causes for the war was the discovery of gold, which caused a great influx from every part of the world.

The Outlanders had grown to greatly out number the Boers, and they were paying nine-tenths of the taxes without representation. The Boers were afraid they would be 6wamped and therefore were led to increase the term of franchise from two to fourteen years. The speaker dwelt upon the form of Boer goverment, and declared that the lower council composed of Outlanders was a farce. The upper council had no consideration for the rights of the people, and was given to granting franchises which amounted to monopolies. Regarding the merits of the question he said: “I cannot help admiring the gallant struggle the the Boers have made, but whether the best interests of South Africa will be served by thejr success is a different Question. Their government is not a good governmentTheir council is easily corrupted, and it is problematical what they would do with their freedom. The Boers have no respect for the rights of the bfacks, and are not willing to conoede the liberties to others whiob they demand for themselves

lam inclined,to think would be more liberty equality and justice under British rule. The wit* - might have been avoided and could have been avoided by wise statesmanship, but the struggle for supremacy between the two races would have eventually come on some issue. The Dutch dream of an independent government in South Africa, but the future of the world lies in the people of Teutonic blood, and the people of this race ought not to knock one anothers heads off. As to the justice of tire war you will be better able to judge for yourselves,”