When the Imperial Government announced their policy of annexation of the Republics after the occupation of Bloemfontein and Pretoria, the voice of the Cape Dutch was raised once more.  They knew that Lord Roberts had greatly mistaken the character of the people he had come to conquer when he thought that no sooner would their capitals be occupied by his forces than all the Boers would surrender.  They were conscious of the fact that a war of annexation would lead to one of conquest, and that the Boers, rather than sacrifice their independence, would choose to fight to the finish.  Hence the colonial Dutch again strongly urged the Home Government to discard the policy of annexation, which would crush and destroy the national life of two small states, which had bravely fought and struggled for their independent existence.

A conference, attended by thousands representing the whole Dutch population of the Cape Colony, was held at Worcester on the 6th of December, 1900.  In that conference or congress of the people resolutions were unanimously adopted discountenancing the policy which led to the annexation of the two Republics.  Six prominent men were chosen from the Worcester delegates, and were deputed to go and appeal to the conscience of the English people.  It was hoped that, at least, in England—­the home of liberty—­they would be allowed to plead their cause, and lay it bare before the public.  How enthusiastically (?) they were received in England and Scotland is well known. Warm receptions were extended to them.  “Away with them!  Crucify them!” was the cry of the enraged war party.  Instead of their message being listened to, these men were mobbed, hissed at and hooted; sometimes they had to flee so as not to be the targets for the missiles of the mob.  And the treatment of these men, who represented at least 90,000 Dutch colonists, at the hands of their fellow-British subjects, was that not an insult—­a mockery of liberty and equal rights?

Besides this deputation of the people, two of the leading ministers of the Cape Parliament—­Messrs. Merriman and Sauer—­went to England on a similar errand, but fared no better.  In vain did they offer their services to the Imperial Parliament by way of suggesting a basis for a settlement, which would terminate a war of devastation and ruination.  The war party would have none of them.  Forsooth, they too were traitors, working against British interests!

The women-folk at the Cape were as anxious as the men, first to prevent, and then to stop, the unfortunate war, the burdens of which they shared with their husbands.  Three times large numbers of them met in conference, at Paarl, Worcester and Cape Town, and there they fearlessly and strongly protested against the conduct of the war and the annexation of the two Republics.  Through the medium of these conferences they expostulated and pleaded with the Home Government to abstain from what they rightly regarded as a stupendous crime, the annihilation of two small states by overwhelming forces.  Their petitions, if they ever reached the British Government, were treated with silent contempt.  Did they merit such treatment?