Salt Lake Tribune | 1904-03-25 | Page 11 | Fixing Blame for Hereros War

FIXING BLAME FOR HEFjERQS WAR Cause of Trouble in German Southwest South-west Africa Laid at Door of Traders. BERLIN, March 24. Crown 4- Princo Frederick William and his -f brothers, Princo Eltel and Princo -f Adelbcrt. took leave today of bIx- -f -f- teen officers and 400 men under tho command of MaJ. Heydo, who dc- J -f partod for German South Africa to- 4- day. BERLIN, March 24. Tho Deutchns Kolonial-Blatt, olllclal organ of the colonial office, printed an extra edition today containing numerous official reports re-ports of tho Hereros uprising in German Ger-man Southwest Africa, confirming the Associated Press cablo dispatches regarding re-garding tho causes of tho trouble. Herr Dufl, a local maglstrato of Windhoek, reporting under date of March 8th, says: "So far as the causes are concerned I believe I urn not mistaken In attributing attribu-ting them chiefly to tho reckless methods meth-ods of wandering traders in collecting debts In Hereroland. This is proved by tho statements of natives Immediately before tho outbreak and whites Intimately Inti-mately acquainted with the circumstances. circum-stances. These traders proceeded with reckless lnjustlceagalnst their customers, custom-ers, either taking their cattle, In payment pay-ment of debt, at too low a valuo or else seizing animals which did not belong to the debtors. "It Is reported that traders palmed themselves off umong the Hereros jis Government officials and threatened the natives with punishment If their debts were not paid. The timid natives submitted sub-mitted without lodging complaints with the Government. The hatred against the traders thus gathered force and waa transferred to all Germans." Chief Judge Rlchter of Windhoek, German Southwest Africa, who was acting Governor during Gov. Leut-weln'3 Leut-weln'3 absence while quelling the Bon-delswart Bon-delswart uprising, also expresses tho opinion that tho Hereros rebellion Is due "to the violent actions of wandering wander-ing traders In the collection of debts."