New-York tribune., 1894-01-14
CECIL RHODES.
THE UNCROWNED KING OF SOUTH
AFRICA

WHO ONE OF THESE DAYS MAY BE PRESIDENT
or THE UNITED STATES OF THAT REGION
The borders OF the globe-c!rcling British En-
pire contain to-day few more conspicuous figures
than that of the Prime Minister Of Cape Colony,
Mr.. Cecil Rhodes. He has long been known
an able colonial minister, particularly success
full Giamond miner and merchant. and am
bilious promoter OF various political and COM
mercia speculations. But sine the war party in
Matabeleland succeeded in forcing their obese
sovereign into campaign against the chartered
Company this Min.st has become a veritable
Colossus OF Rhodes bestrding two continents
while the politics of the Empire flow. troubled
stream. between his feet. Nor is he only Colos-
sus, but Janus. too. twO-faced, at least accord
ing to current observa ton. For If one is to be-
lieve the average canny colOnist or the mission
aries, or any OF vast host Of serlous-mlnded
men and women in South Africa and in England.
Mr. Rhodes is a strong. wise, humane man, bent
on civiliZing South Africa. and making IT
worthy member OF great Christian Empire.
And on the other hand, If one is 10 believe
Mr.. Labouchere and perhaps some others this
same Mr. Rhodes is a choice compound Of Nero.
Attila and Gcnghis Khan. with some If the least
amiabe traits # Dick Turp.n and Boss Tweed
thrown in to fill up the chinks. 1t is scarcely
possible that both estimates correct: yet that
both. or that either. should be made Of him.
marks Mr.. Rhodes a parsonage Of more than
common interest
This "uncrowned King of South Africa is
now only about forty years old: and II was Joss
than a dozen years ago that he attained any,
thing like prominence in the affairs Of the land
he now governs He began in the diamond mines.
First he was individual miner, rather more
energetic and therefore more ssful than his
rivals. and singuarly able in preventing Kaffr
workmen from stealing the precious stones. They
say that the l. y. (which being interpreted is
the illegtimate diamond trade-has in one year
amounted to more than a million dollars: il this
BE- true. who shall reckon what IL would have
been without Mr.. Rhodes and his Industrial in
QUESTION? He not content. however. with
individual mining. Even i'm that business his
schemes were imperial Thus it was he who
consolidated all the dgginGs Of the district. ~
the whole country. into one colossal concern,
probably the greatest mining company IN the
world In this he showed himself man of al
fairs equal to gigantic undertakings. and in
spired those about him with a confidence in him
and in his manifest destiny" that has never
waverel.
1t while engaged in the great Kimberley
De Beers consolidation enterprise that Mr.
Rhodes first revealed his political ambition. The
story is told that day. nine years ago. stand
ing in the Office Of a Kimb riley merchant. he
laid his hand upon map Of Africa. covering all
the central portion from the Cape to the Fam
bos. saying: "All that for England, That Is
my dream" 'rll give you ten years to wake in"
replied the friend to whom ne had spoken And
truly there seemed then little likelihood that such
vision would be realized. The Beers would get
the land perhaps or the al!-claiming Portu-
IN n1an nf Ip
Of Rorke's Drift. made further British conquests
seem chimerical Mr.. Rhodes went at the task.
however, with complete faith. and in exactly the
same way in which he had already achieved his
great success at Kimberley. Instead of the
classic Divide and Govern. Unite ana Govern was
his motto. He devoted himself 10 harmonizng
the interests Of the various natonalities and
colonies. He showed the Beers and the English
that their real aims Were one; h. convinced the
Cape and the Transvaal that their interests were
identical. Within Cape Colony itself. at any rate
he was successful. There is to-day but one party
there. English and Dutch are united in a New
Afrikander party, and Cecil Rhodes is their
prophet
Having achieved financial success almost be-
yond the dreams of aVarice," and having got the
solid political support Of the Cape. he next set
out his vast project of territorial expansion:
to make Cape Colony and the Congo State con-
tiguous To do this he formed a new John
Company" on a prodigious scale. The British
SRlth Africa Company was organized 70 open
up. improve and administer Mashonaland and all
other Of the Bechuana countries it would up TO
the Zambesi. The reproach has been east
against this company that it Is composed of
TORY Jingoes and Royal Dukes. It Is true that
some of its members answer to these descriptions.
Yet would hesitate thus 10 class Professor
Thomas Huxley and Professor Henry Drum
who ore all stockholders Mr.. Conybeare. ~ p.
is a Radical Of the Radicals; SO Is Sir Charles
Dixie; Mr.. Schnadhorst is the chief engineer Of
the Gladstoniin-Radical 'mdchine' yclept in
England "caucus': Mr. Macarthur is Gadston-
ian whip: yet all these. and half a dozen more
Radical and Nationalist NJ P.'s. are stockholders
prove that they are either Tory Jingoes or Royal
Dukes. but that they have faith in Mr.. Rhodes
and that they know good investment when they
see II. Mr. Labouchere, VI. T., is not lin on the
ground floor" And Mr.. Labouchere esteems Nj
Rhodes TO be- as aforesaid n fin de steele cu-
nination of all the iniquties of all past ages.
Further than these things. one may say that
Mr.. Rhodes is OF athletic frame and of gigantic
stature: ruddy faced strong handed deliberate in
action. almost sauntering in step with rather full
Dut dreamy intrOspective gray eyes. and the jaw
and chin Of bulldog. The dreams for HIM
self. When he speaks You hear the bulldog
There is no one more direct and resolute ~
speech. II don't want a single redcOat." he said
when the trouble with Lobengua began. Wen
ick the Matabele of the earth without botherng
the British taxpayer" Commenting on the vili-
cation of him with which portion Of the Brit
sh press is teeming. he said That's the sort of
stuff that led to Bunker Hill. | am loyal. The
C'ape is loyal. But continued injustice and mis-
representation will at last ALLEVIATE the most
oyaL" And now he declares. with equal blunt
less. that since the Cape has won the battle.
the Cape shall have the spoils, know the rca-
,on why. Ii England interferes-weil the United
states of South Africa is not ill-soundnq
name
Twenty -four years ago sickly lad. he went
rom English rural parsonage to the Cape
or his hcalth-to die, most people thought To-
lay Lobengua calls him the man VINO eats a
whole country for his dinner" He has held a
Worlds Fair at Kimberley; he has bu.it a rail-
'oad across the Karroo: he is building telegraph
Inc from Cape Town To Alexandria: he has cx-
ended the border of Cape Colony 10 the Xambesi.
Md he IL only young bachelor of forty who
ias scarcely yet begun To work