COAXING THE BOERS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 23 September 1901, Page 4

COAXING THE BOERS.

Our Governments Anti-British Policy.

The curse of a lienient policy.

(Sinclair Howie, in the “ Daily Mail.”) Pretoria.

It were idle to disguise the fact that the present position of affairs in South Africa is regarded by British subjects with deeper suspicion and keener anxiety than lias been manifested since the outbreak of hostilities. The germ of distrust has been fostered in its growth by the policy of that Government which has vowed so often ‘ho see the business through.” To British colonists, and even to two-thirds of our Army, the position is inexplicable, unless An two hypotheses, viz., one, that Lord Kitchener’s hands are absolutely subservient to diplomatic exigencies at Home, or that he is professionally incompetent to deal wi*h the situation. These are the only two explanations admissible. The indictment is strong, but unfortunately can be most convincingly, demonstrated by any one acquainted with the facts. I grumble not as a correspondent at the vagaries of censorship. There is no more unenviable staff appointment than that of Press censor. Clemency the Curse. Were a proper course adopted, which has been so frequently advocated, this apparently interminable war could be concluded in two months’ time. By all the laws of civilised warfare the remnant of the Boer army still in the field are no longer belligerents but banditti, and ought to bo treated as such. The day of clemency and generosity, if it ever existed, has long since gone by. The Boer marauders we have now to deal with are desperate men, whose deeds warrant them in the belief their leaders have sought to inculcate that they can expect little mercy from us if caught. The majority of them are surrendered burghers who have broken their parole, and rebels. The remainder are men who have nothing to lose but much to dread should they fall into our hands. We, who have been on many a bloody battlefield, and have realised to the full the horrors of war, can only see one me'hod of stopping that are being perpetrated under the name of war, and diat is to shoot every one of them at sight after duo warning has been given. True it is that this policy would cut both ways, but I leave it to any military man to state whether the ultimate cost in British blood would not be considerably less than a pursuance of the present method of concluding the campaign. There are no longer big fights with the attendant heavy casualty lists. That has gone by, but there arc numberless little skirmishes occurring daily representing a heavy drain in lives. This, however, is only one reason, though a powerful one surely, for that feeling of distrust which animates the minds of loyalists in South Africa. There arc other reasons. Monstrous Red Tapa. Perhaps, after all, the most bitter feelings have been evoked by the manner in which the authorities 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 first and British nowhere. The facts speak for themselves. Thousands of the 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 were allowed to inhabit the towns. Mon who have fought for their country right through the war in one or other of the irregular corps have taken their discharge in Pretoria or Johannesburg, where their homes and businesses were. Under martial law, however, those men on returning to civil life are required to possess a residental pass. 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 re-

main in their homes and resume their occupations ; but coming under the disqualifying terms of •* British,” they are packed over the border-. Such action appears monstrous, yet notwithstanding it is true.

Only recently 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 tho same evening, and were perforce compelled to remain in Pretoria that night. Tho hotel in which they slept was raided by tho provostmarshal and his men. All the culprits were arrested and fined £2 each the following morning for being in town without the necessary residential permit. This is the gratitude shown to our irregulars who services have admittedly been of the utmost value. They unfortunately were “British.” Can it bo wondered if these men regret their loyalty to their country when they arc treated in a manner so harsh and unjustifiable ? Ko British Wanted.

Where you have towns populated almost wholly by surrendered burghers one would imagine common prudence would dictate tho equalising of matters by allowing men of tried loyalty to remain in the country. The very opposite course, however, has been pursued. Meanwhile these ox-burghers 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 is within the truth to state that less than 50 per cent, of the employees are British subjects, It would appear a childish policy to have so strict a censorship on a I matters and yet employ as servants, in positions where valuable information can be obtained, men who have fought against us, and whose bitter hatred of everything British has only been made subservient to their pockets. In palliation it is stated that British subjects cannot be secured. Considering that every British subject the authorities can possibly manage to’send over the border is so dealt with, it is not surprising that the civil service has to be mainly composed of our enemies, timeservers who will seadily sell their information to the highest bidder. A few months ago, when Lord Kitchener had so narrow an escape from being captured by tho enemy, his movements were kept most profoundly secret. Only on his leaving one point was the fact communicated to the next station. Yet the Boers knew and followed his movements. One of the recently-appointed permanent officials, head of an important department, arrived in Pretoria some weeks ago with a surrendered burgher as his private secretary. Such instances are, however, almost too common to evoke more than passing comment hero. Tho chairman of an important committee in Pretoria is a man who has been repeatedly struck off the rolls under the conupt regime of the old Government, who has been “wanted” badly by tho police both of Capo Colony and Natal, and who could only have flourished as he has done in a country where knavery was at a premium. He, fortunately, is not a British subject, and is therefore treated with the kindest consideration, as the enemy must be conciliated at all costs. “For what have we Fought ?” At the time when the recent peace negotiations were being conducted every effort made to keep tho terms proposed from leaking out. When the Home papers ultimately arrived with full reports of the proposals there was but one question asked by rcqular and irregular alike. “ For what have we fought ?’’ It is bare truth to state that had these proposals been accepted Britain wotild have lost South Africa.

Only by the assistance of irregulars has the country been conquered, and were the hopes of these men once more to bo rudely dispelled a united South Africa under another flag than the Union Jack would bo the result. It is difficult for you Home people to realise how strongly South Africans feel on this matter, and how sore a subject it is to them. Instead of realising this the military authorities have shut their eyes to it and even gone out of their way to make the tension greater. There has been much pseudo-sympathy raised on behalf of the poor oppressed Boer, but, truth to tell, the position of British subjects might call forth, truer sentiment. The latter ask for no measures of stern vengeance. Pleased they would be if placed on the same footing as brother Boer, a modest demand surely, yet one the authorities so far have declined to accede to.

Magnanimity has been carried over the verge of farce, and our own people are being treated with cruel injustice. Much is hoped for on ths return of Lord Milner. All eyes are turned towards him as to the shadow of a rock in the noontide sun. Ho understands the situation in all its complexity, and he alone commands the confidence the British Government would otherwise vainly look for.