The record-union., 1896-01-10
rRANsvAAL INDEPENDENCE.

When Secretary the Rt. Hon. Joseph
Chamberlain of the Foreign Office
learned Of the capture of the land pi-
rate DR.. Jameson by the Transvaal
Beers, he wired to the President of the
Boer Republic, begging him in the
hour Of his triumph to show mercy to
Dr. Jameson and his men, and not exc
cute them. This was practically the
expression of fear upon the part of the
Secretary, and therefore of the British
Government, that the Beers would sum
marily try and condemn the pirate
crew It was also an intination that the
English look upon the Beers as holding
themselves not bound by the rules OF
war in this Jameson matter, and that
amounts to confession that Jameson
was not engaged in warfare, but in
land piracy.
AS a matter of act, so he was. It was
not war but invasion by mere free
booter who carried no flag, and OF
whom England washes her hands. de-
cIaring that he did not represent that
nation. President Paul Kruger had
perfect right, therefore, to treat jane
son as one would treat burglar or
highway robber He might have shot
him and his men the instant OF capture
and he would have been justified in the
eyes of all the world. But the staIwart
Boer did nothing of the kind. He did,
however, reply to Secretary Chamber
lain in words that sent thrill through
the nerves of all who admire patriotism
and magnanimity. He wired TO Inc
dignified Secretary words that burn,
and that to the English soul must have
been as gall and wormwood to the
tongue He said:
II have not ordered the freebooters,
who are prisoners, to be shot. Thelr
case will be decided strictly in accord
ance with the traditions of the Repu0-
lie. and in sharp contrast to the TN
heard Of acts Of these freebooters. 50
many lies and false reports are pub
lished in even influential newspapers IN
England that I deem it advisable TO
add that the freebooter prisoners nave
been treated with the greatest conSfd-
GRAFTON by our burghers despite the fact
that the latter have been more than
once compelled to take UP arms in de-
tense of the dearly bought indepen-
dence of our Republic.
II hope you will kindly pardon the
liberty ann taking when / say that our
confidence in Rhodes has received sucn
a. shock that his reputation of the pro
ceedings at Buluwayo ought to be re-
ceiyed with the greatest caution. Even
now we have news that an armed force
is collecting on our borders. If it is true
I trust that not the word of Rhodes, but
the influence of the Government Will
suffice to prevent further tncurs1ons.
VIII YOU, with a view to checking fur
ther lying reports. publish this?"
And Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain
has replied that he will. and that he had
issued orders to advance forces to pre-
vent any further raiding, and likewise
that England will strictly uphold and
carry out the obligations of the treaty
of 1884. But will this be now possible?
We doubt it. Clearly the time has
come for the Beers to throw off the last
vestige of English control, and just as
clearly, aided by Germany, they mean
to do SO, and abrogate the compact of
eleven years ago, and declare their com
plete independence of England, so that
not even a shadow of her suzerainty
will be any longer tolerated.
Without German support, however,
this cannot be done, because the Re-
public Of Transvaal has no seaport. No
part of the territory of the republic
touches the seacoast. The little repub-
lie, in a territory somewhat smaller
than the State of California, is com
pIetely hemmed in by English terri
tory, save on one side, where Portu-
guese possessions intervene. Across this
strip from the seacoast to the Trans
vaal interior a railway has been con-
structed, and it is announced that the
Portuguese Government, which has had
its own trials in Africa with the Eng
lish, has given its consent that Ger
many may transport troops if it wishes
across the Portuguese strip Later dis
patches contradict this, but we are dis
posed to doubt their authenticity. The
Beers, moreover, can call to their assist
ance hundreds of thousands Of warriors
of the native tribes of South Africa, and
probably, with German assistance,
whip them into pretty good soldier ma
teriaI in the course Of a few months.
But even as they are, the English have
found these Africans are most trouble
some foes, and not to be despised by
even the best armed troops Of civiliza-
ton. The outlook, therefore, for the
complete independence of the Beers is
most encouraging.
Representative Livingstone's hot pro-
testing resolution in the House on the
subject of the advance of the outposts
of the British in the Venezuelan dis