The South African War.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 26, 31 January 1901, Page 4

The South African War.

To the Editor op the Times. Sir, —Your correspondent “ Tommy Atkins” has evidently read “ the papers,” as he calls the fountain of his information upon the South African war now being waged, and as a consequence of his extensive reading of course British methods are entirely ‘magnanimous’ and ‘ generous,’ while the methods of the Boers are styled 1 cowardly,' ‘dishonorable,’ ‘inhuman,’ ‘treacherous,’ ‘ ruthless,’ ‘ murderous.’ Now, no doubt,, the Boers arc very wicked people indeed to dare to continue the struggle against such magnanimous foes, but as nearly all*white men do fight to the last when they are threatened with the loss of their country or faced with unconditional surrender, it will not assist us to lose our tempers and denounce our opponents for acting precisely as we ourselves should act under similar circumstances. Nor does it add to the dignity of ‘ Tommy Atkins ” to threaten banishment of the Gisborne resident who simply discussed in your columns the best way to bring about a peaceful state of things in South Africa, but whose methods of arriving at that happy consummation naturally differ somewhat from the , violence of “ Tommy Atkins.” Your correspondent says that “The majority of Boer commanders invariably resort to inhuman methods.” ”Will “Tommy Atkins” be good enough to substantiate that statement by an atom of proof ? Did he read it in the papers'? “Tommy Atkins” says, “ Have we not read how our troopors have been ruthlessly murdered in cold blood Yes, no doubt, “ Tommy Atkins,” you have read it, and the more foolish of you to accept the same for truth. You have no doubt read, too, that Mr Kruger has arranged to be crowned at Westminster ! It is this unintelligent behavior, the result of which is already seen in the thousand miscalculations and disappointments of this war. “ Tommy Atkins” has, no doubt, had his ferocity well sharpened by what he has read ,in “ the papers,” but if he will read “ The Great Boer War,” by Conan Doyle, he will see therein that it is a foul slander to make the accusations against our enemies contained in your correspondent’s letter. If “ Tommy Atkins,” instead of filling his head with every lying cablegram of the last sixteen months, would just get out on active service he would have his braincleared a bit of the errors with which it has been stuffed, and would leam that Englishmen can afford to respect a brave enemy who are defending their country against overwhelming odds, and should he have the pleasure of assisting in carrying out the latest British proclamations he will find that such methods of extermination may be considered a necessary con---sequence of a war which never should have been begun; but such fire raisings are neither “generous” nor “magnanimous,” and in the opinion of a good many judges absolutely futile, and only calculated to bring about the ultimate loss of our South African possessions. I am, etc., Another Resident of Gisborne.