The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-11-06

/ quired an interest in one Of the richest of
| these mines, the De Beers. and in few
| years rose to the presidency. The period
| from lss2 to 1859 was a time Of great actiy.
| ity at Kimberley. In the former year the
l famous ButtOntein diggings We're first de
! veloped and from that time forward the
great Du Toit's Pan, De Beers and Kim
| berley mines, togetherwith the smaller dig
/ gings in the neighborhood. were worked Z,
/ their full capacity. The output was euor
nous. The markets of the world wer
I Hooded with precious stones, prices d.
/ clined, and the shareholders noted an a.
! preciable dminution in their dividends.
Now, a decline in dividends calls for h.
roic remedies. A diamond trust - d..
manded. Then Cecil Rhodes stepped to
the front and accomplished what other an ]
/ better known hnanciers had been unable I.
| perform. He reconciled conf hicting claims
| and consolidated the mines in one grand
syndicate with Il capital of $40, ajO, 900 The
syndicate controlled the diamond market,
and the dividends were saved. An idea of
the princely character of those dividends
may be obtained from the fact that in 10
months Sl0,OJ0,OO0 worth of diamonds were
taken from the mines.
Cecil Rhodes became the hero of the hour
u.
and the glitter of the gems shed a halo over
his fame His services in the consolidation
were literally rewarded, and his fortune
has waXed as only "A diamond king 5 fortune
| can. Its extent is now variously estimated
at from $50 00O, 600 to S75 100000.
His fortune assured, Cecil Rhodes turned
his attention to politics. The soiourner In
South Africa can readily understand the
affinity between diamond mining and law.
making. The entire code of the colony
seems to he cOntrved in the interest of the
diamond kings. The whole force of the gov.
ernment is employed in conserving aud pro
tectin2 the mining industry. The newspa-
pers and telegraphs are managed in its ia.
vOr, and public opinion is deity manip
ulated in its behalf
In politics, as in business, Cecil Rhodes
succeeded where Others had failed His
talents for organization and Cancellation
were again brought into play, and harmony
between the Boers and English settlers
consummation which older statesmen had
deemed impossible-was effected. Cecil
Rhodes became premier and practical ruler
of Cape Colony.
But his genius was not restricted to the
ordinary channels of business and state.
craft. While at work in Kimberley and
Cape Town he nourished visions of an i'm.
perial province in that mysterious Eldoradu
north of the 1ransvaal which the eyes OF
few white men had ever beheld Frederick
Selous, the veteran hunter and explorer.
told him in enthusiastic phrases of the fab.
ulous wealth of Mashonaland Rhodes re,
solved to carry the British flag to the Zam-
/ bezi.
| Herepaired to England With the prestige
of 4 1.
| in Cape Colony he had no difficulty in in.
teresting certain Influential capitalists in
/ his scheme. He secured charter from the
crown and organized the Imperial British
South Africa company, with the Duke OF
Abercorn as chairman, Duke uf Fife deputy
chairman and Hon Cecil John Rhodes as
managing director Certain half forgotten
concessions granted by King Lobengula in
an incautous hour to men now dead and
I gone were revived and CONSOLIDATED under
| imperial authority" These antiquatod con
cessions were repudiated by the savage mon
arch, but they gave the color Of legality to
the invasion of the whites which was pre-
sently organized
Lobeugula mcast TO resist the pioneer ex-
pedition of 1880, but he was outmaneuvered
by Selous, and the party reached Mashona-
land In safety Then the Matabele king
deemed it eXpodient to compromise, auu
peace was purchased. But the propinquity
Of the warlike Matabele was a constant
menace TO the settlers in Mashonaland
Moreover, the gold deposits OF Matabeeland
were of surprising richness, and the dig
gers cast lusttul looks toward BuluwayO.
The company, too, was In straitened cir
cumstauces and needed to strengthen its
hold on Fam bezia SO when Lobengula's
young bloods clamored for war the chal
lenge was eagerly accepted and the machine
gun prevailed over the assegai. The char
tered oompany's flag waves over BuluwayC
and 524 600 square miles have been added
to the British dominous
Verify, Cecil Rhodes is the man of tn,
hour. Scipio Africanus was a pygmy com
pared with this modern hero Of Africa
g. {. HUNT.