Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1904. A Nation’s Dishonour.

Manawatu Herald, 16 July 1904, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1904. A Nation’s Dishonour.

A cablegram from London received about a week ago, informs us that the commander of a Dutch expedition in North Aclun, in the island of Sumatra, had attacked Lidat, the centre of an insurrectionary movement that was being carried on by the natives. We read that four hundred and thirty-two of the insurgents were killed, including 124 women and 88 children. Following up their success, the troops next attacked Langatbars, where another six hundred and fifty-four of the enemy were slaughtered, including 86 women and 130 children. The above lines, are enough - to make the average New Zealander wonder whether such things can be. We 'are all aware of the terrible cruelties inflicted by the Belgians on the natives of the Congo; cruelties of so revolting a nature as to, cause the European Powers to demand an ' explanation from the Belgian G6vernment. But the Belgians at least had ,the decency to confine their excesses to the men, and did not interfere with the women or the children. The Dutch apparently do not possess even this small vestige of humanity, but slay men, women and children indiscriminately; in fact, from the preciseness of the Dutch leader’s calculations, he appears to have taken a peculiar pride in estimating how many women and children his troops had the “ credit ” of doing for. Probably ft fair proI portion of the members of the I punitive expedition were natives in the of the Dutch Governmentbut this in no wise excuses the general. The latter evidently exercised complete control over bis I men, and deliberately authorised the carrying out of the murderous work. Moreover, his own unvarnished figures are clear proofs of his culpability. A famous writer lays at the door of the* British Government the poverty and crime existing in India, and this view has been endorsed by Florence Nightingale, the heroine of the Crimea. ■* We do not care for the people of India,” she wrote in 1878. “ The saddest sight to be seen in the East—nay, probably in the whole world, is the peasant of our Eastern empire.” Verestchagin, the renowned Russian artist, who lost his life in the “ Petropavloseki ” outside Port Arthur a few weeks ago, emphatically declared that his picture of English soldiers, in the Indian Mutiny, shooting captured Sepoys from the muzzles of their cannon, was a literal fact. This last is very difficult to believe ; but we do not doubt that some of the evils prevailing in our Indian empire were caused through the maladministration of English officials; nevertheless we have never been accused of illtreating women and children, however hostile they may have been to us. Never in the history of the British army has such a charge been sustained -againstu6. A But the Dutchs aik 4to extermintijje, the, root, and branch, though their object in so doing is not at all apparent. Whatever their purpose may be they are most assuredly not justified in carrying out such a diabolical measure. The Achinese have certainly given the Dutch authorities considerable trouble for many years, but the former have never committed any extraordinary deeds of violence, their only “ crime ” oeing that they preferred the rule of their own rajahs to the tyranny -of Dutch domination; and never since the rebellion first began have they done anything that would call for such a wholesale extermination as was witnessed the other day. But “ They who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind,” and the Dutch certainly cannot blame the natives if they take a more than ample revenge for the cruelties that have been perpetrated upon them. 'We cannot believe it possible that a nation with such a meritorious record as the Dutch will suffer this dastardly act to pass unnoticed, but if they do not take steps to have the officers responsible for the outrage punished, it is to be hoped that Great Britain will exercise any powers she may have to order an

inquiry into the circumstances of the case, and if the Dutch commander and his accomplices are convicted, as they must be on such damning evidence, that a protest will be lodged with the Dutch Government urging them to mete out to the offenders the punishment they so richly deserve. Great Britain is fully entitled to complain at the Hague, and would be able to give effect to any recommendation she might urge by bringing pressure to bear. It is to be hoped tlrfe British Government will take some action in the matter, even if it is only to express their strong disapprobation of this revolting series of a human shambles, termed by courtesy, warfare.