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Show FAMOUS PEACE TREATIES : By H. IRVING KING j " "lOriirlii .:.). I,y 1 1 .- if.fi.m- N.-w s ,.ii,.-r S . njk ate. I TREATY OF WASHINGTON, 1819. A Peace Pact Into Which the United States Introduced a Novel Idea. Tin- treaty between Spain and the United Slates sig I at Washington in February of iSl'.t brought to an euil "stale of war" which, without any dual procla mat Ion, existed in fact between the two countries, and gave t'lorida to tin; latter. It was in this treaty that tin; United States introduced intro-duced that novelty In diplomacy of jmylng for regions which It had pro-riously pro-riously obtained by conquest ; a policy pol-icy which was afterwards followed with regard to the treaties closing the Mexican war and the lust war with Spain. The possession of Florida by Spain shut out Alabama and Mississippi Missis-sippi from access to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, which extended west; and by holding of Amelia Island at the mouth of the St. Mary's on the Atlantic At-lantic wits a constant Irritation to Georgia. Tin; Florida coasts, both on the Atlantic and the Gulf, furnished rendezvous for pi rules and smugglers and through the years of tumult from 1807 to IS 15, whllt; Spain was engaged 'in war in Europe and by revolt among lier American colonies, criminals of all sorls front everywhere sought a refuge in Florida, where they were Joined by runaway slaves from the United States. Although the rebellion of the other rolouies of Spanish-America did not spread to Florida, the mother country was unable to give effective aid to the governor cf that colony and at one lime the governor wrote to the American Amer-ican secretary of state saying that he idd be obliged to ask .the United States to take charge of the colony unless un-less lie received aid from Spain. Tlte attitude of the United States toward site revolted South American colonies greatly irritated Spain and the United Slates was irritated by the fact that the British had used Florida as a base of 'operations in the war of 1S12. ! the United Stares, ami a border war j began. Haying done this he departed, leaving a garrison in the fort well sup-i sup-i plied with arms and ammunition, not ! only for their own use but enough for distribution to their fellows. Spain ! was appealed to in vain .to take action j and nfter waiting a year an American- man-of-war proceeded to Fort Bar-j Bar-j ram as, destroyed the fort and its am-I am-I in mi I tiuii and dispersed its garrison. ! Florida had become an unbearable J nuisance. ! Now, by the treaty of 1795 between Spain aud the United States, the former for-mer power had solemnly agreed that the Florida Indians should not be allowed al-lowed to attack the United States, Spain not having kept Hint clause of the treaty General Jackson In 1817 was ordered to call upon the governors govern-ors of Tennessee and Georgia for soldiers, sol-diers, to organize an army and to "adopt necessary measures to terminate termi-nate a conflict which It has been the desire of the president to avoid, but which is now made necessary by their settled hostilities." The British parliament and people cried out for war. Spain wanted to know if the United States was at war with her. If not she demanded the surrender of the captured places and the punishment of General Jackson. The French minister offered himself as intermediary and diplomatic discussion dis-cussion went on until on November 28, Secretary of State Adams sent an ultimatum ulti-matum to Spain. Jackson would not lie even censured; the captured places would be restored when Spain gave guarantees for fulfilling treaty obligations; obliga-tions; the Spanish officials in Florida must be punished for neglect of duty and an indemnity paid the United States to cover the expenses of the war. And he added: "We shall hear Beginning of a Border War. Then there was another cause of quarrel. In settling up matters with he European powers after the Napoleonic Na-poleonic wars the United States presented pre-sented a little bill to Spain of over even million dollars for damage done 1 American shipping and Spain ittowed no disposition to settle up. iuiing the war of 1812, Andrew Jnck-son Jnck-son invaded the territory of a nominal-Cy nominal-Cy friendly power by seizing Pensacola and driving a British force from Fort Karrnncas. after which he withdrew. Some months nfter the close of the war of 1812 there was another invasion inva-sion of Florida. The British during She war bad built a strong fort on Jhe Appulachlcola and did not evacuate evacu-ate It when the war closed. Instead the British commander stirred up the Indians, outlaws and negroes against no more excuses from Spanish officials of their inability to perforin their duty." The French minister had secret instructions in-structions to back up Spain if the war was continued and England was waiting wait-ing to see "how the cat jumped ;" Castlereagh sayiag that he had but to hold up his finger to place the United Unit-ed States and Great Britain at war again. Nevertheless the ultimatum of Mr. Adams cleared the atmosphere. Spain was making little or no progress against her revolted colonies In South America and Mr. Adams and the Spanish Span-ish minister, Don Louis de Onis, began negotiations which were soon transferred trans-ferred from Washington to Madrid, finally resulting in the signing at Washington on February 22, 1819, of a treaty of "amity, settlements and limits." TREATY OF PRETORIA, 1902. The Strain Between the Transvaal and the British Government. The United States of South Africa, which is now looming large in the affairs af-fairs of the British empire, is one of the results of the treaty of Pretoria which closed the Boer war, begun in October of 1899. For many years the relations between be-tween the Boer republic of the Transvaal Trans-vaal and Cape Colony, lying to the south of it, had been strained with a resulting strain upon the relations between be-tween the Transvaal and the British Brit-ish government. The Orange Free State, lying between Cape Colony and the Transvaal, got along better with ihe British authorities, but when the war came threw Its lot with the Boer republic. The principal cause of friction fric-tion was the high-handed manner in which, under President Kruger, "Uitlanders, "Uit-landers, " or aliens, in Transvaal were treated. The Boer, or native, population popu-lation of the Transvaal was about 70,-O00 70,-O00 of whom 25,000 were voting citizens. citi-zens. The Uitlanders, five-sixths of whom spoke English, were estimated nt about ISO.000, nearly half of whom were male adults ; and in December of 1S95, according - to Lord Bryce, their numbers were increasing at the rate af nearly 1,000 a week through arrivals arriv-als from Cape Town alone, nnd it was estimated that should the deep levels of the mines go on prospering, by 1905 there would be an Uitlander population popula-tion in the republic of half a million, or nearly eight times as many Uitlanders Uitland-ers as natives. The Uitlander was practically excluded, except in a very limited and theoretical way, from a slinre in the government. But he was taxed until the Transvaal treasury was overflowing. And the Uitlanders were developing the country, conducting the large enterprises, and were the employers em-ployers of labor on a large scale. Also the Transvaal government would not provide efficient police fur the mines and refused to pass laws to keep liquo" away from the natives. Believed Themselves Superior. The Boers treated the Uitlander. the British especially, with the utmost contempt, believed themselves a superior supe-rior race and able to stand in arms any time against Great Britain. Naturally friction was bound to occur, oc-cur, and matters went from bad to worse until the famous Jameson raid of 1S95. Instigated by Cecil Rhodes, Doctor Jameson, a Scottish physician, i started from Pitsanl, n town in I'.cchu- ; unaland, with a force of about COO men, to capture the important Boer rity of 7 )!iannesburg. He had count ed on a general uprising of the Uitlanders, Uit-landers, but "somebody blundered." Ho was not supported and was taken prisoner on January 2, 189(5. Jameson, the American mining engineer, John Hays Hammond, and several others of prominence among the Uitlanders, were thrown into prison. Jameson was sent to England for trial, where he was found guilty of violating the foreign enlistment act and sentenced to ten months imprisonment, but was let off through the efforts of the American Amer-ican government and banished from the country. This raid gave an excuse to Kruger for more repressive measures against the Uitlanders. Relations between Grent Britain and the Transvaal he-came he-came more and more strained until nt last, in October of 1899, war broke out. The Boers were a people who "could shoot and ride"; Immense stretches of territory had to be fought over where the Boer was perfectly at heme; he was ably led nnd fought within handy reach of his bases of supplies. The British were poorly officered of-ficered at first ; the British government govern-ment failed to realize the prowess of its enemy until its armies had suffered repeated reverses; and it was conducting conduct-ing a war many thousands of miles away and doing it by "the bookish theory," the-ory," until sad experience taught a bitter lesson. It was not until Kitchener nnd Roberts were finally sent down there that British arms recovered re-covered their prestige. The Boers besieged Ladysmlth on October 29, 1S99. and it was not until February 28, 1900, that the town was relieved. Kimherly was besieged on October 14, and not relieved until February Feb-ruary 15 of the following year, while the siege of Mafeking lasted from October Oc-tober 15. 1890, to May 19 of the next year. The capture of Cronje's army ! at the Modder river on February 27 of 1900 and the taking of Pretoria on June 5 were other notable events of the war. The Boers still held out in small bands and It was not until 1902 that a peace was finally concluded. On May 31, 1902, a treaty was signed by the British and Boer representatives representa-tives at the Boer capital, I'H.toria. By this treaty the Transvaal and the Or- ' tinge Free State came under Brit- ! ish colonial government. No punish- ; tiieiit was to be imposed upon the de- j feated by way of Indemnity or fines, 1 or in any other way, and the nu'!i' of ; the Boers to a participation in the government was guaranteed. |
