The Free State.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 145, 15 May 1900, Page 4

The Free State.

o I What shall be done -with thai Free State? The question has! been asked quite irrespective of thef treatment that may be meted out I to the Transvaal when the war is. 5 ? over, as there is a general feelino| that the blame for what has beea.l done in South Africa should not b&| equally devided between the twoi republics. Many people believe^ that tho Free State was beguiled i into the war, and was led astray by > its President, who was enticed, or ' allured, into tho sin of rebellion bv bis brother President. The Cape*l town correspondent of the London'-* Daily Mail, however, puts a very 3 different complexion on the case for J the Free State. He says that, in''l the opinion of many loyal Dutch* colonials, and of many British* officers who havo lived long in South'B Africa, the Free State is less entitled™ to magnanimous treatment; than iiifl tho Trarisvaal. The Transvaalers, I ho points out, are at least Sghtingß their own country's battles, wherea the Free Staters though they had' no possible quarrel with Greal Britain, took advantage of th» declaration of war to mvado British territory, and, in a dishonourably manner, to compel the disloyalty of British subjects. Preiident Steji had no standing army bound U obey his call to arms, and tbfl burghers of the Free State faaviß shown that they have acted on theiifl own initiative, and hay followejß too much the devices and desires o|l their own hearts. Some time agefl Mr Schreiner wrote to President Steyn, asking him if the Free Stafl burghers had invaded Britisll territory by the President's ordem and the latter replied, statin]! plainly and emphatically thill invasion v/as made actually agaicfl his express commands. Variotl suggestions have been offered as il the real object of these sornewlal extraordinary communications wm tween the Premier of a Britiil colony and thß President of ahosul country, and it has been stated tliil the Premier was trying toshifl the President. But it is pointtH out that Steyn is not a very devil man, and that his letters on til subject bear the stamp of trolil The Free Staters, like the Tnu»l vaalers, seem to have been MjH the idea of a South African Repnil he, and to have waged warm^B that in view, and hence it is iu^J that, in their case, the punishmaM should be made to fit the crime. 'H