St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-05-09
CHARTERED COMPANY OFFICIALS
INSIST HIS RESIGNATION BE
ACCEPTED.
POLICY OF THE CABINET.
MUCH EFFECTED STATEMENT OF
THE GOVERNMENT MADE TO
THE HOUSE.
ENGLAND Is AFTER PEACE FIRST,
A Commission Recommended to In
Quire Into the Affair. of the
Chartered Company.

LONDON, May Sit Is understood that sew
eral officers of the British Chartered South
African company will resign, unless the resig-
nation of Cecil Rhodes is accepted.
The house of commons was crowded this
afternoon, owing to the fact that the vote on
the colonial estimates was to be taken, and
that 1t was to be made the occasion of an I'M
portant series of questions on South African
affairs. Ambassador Bayard was among those
present The Liberal leader, Sir William Har-
court, asked the government to make state
ment regarding the raid into the Transvaal
In so doing, he said that the opposition had
heretofore not unduly pressed the government
on this important matter. but they thought the
time had now arrived for the house to be in
formed of the governments intention in the
case.
In his reply, Mr.. Chamberlain, after stating
that the government had declined to advise
the company, said that the government be-
lieved the proper course to follow would be
that joint COMMITTEES of both houses should
inquire into the whole situation including the
administration of the British Chartered South
African company. The policy of the govern
ment, he explained, was TO prevent absolutely
the recurrence of the regrettable proceedings;
to continue, by every legitimate means, the eff
forts to secure fair and equal treatment for
British subjects in the iTransvaaI, and to re-
store amity between the two races there.
Mr. Chamberlain further said that recent
events had reopened the whole of the great
South African question, which had been the
of fafin Cir
Harcourt had dealt with only one phase of
the question. His speech was a powerful
Indictment, not only of the Chartered COM
pany but of the prisoners at Pretoria and
the men undergoing trial in England. He
(Mr. .Chamberlain) could not discuss that
part of the affair. Many interests were at
stake and developments were being anxiously
and carefully watched by foreign nations
Under these circumstances and in view OF
the situation of the prisoners at Pretoria,
there were many things which it was unde-
sirable to mention at present, and which
might be said in the future. The speaker
added: ''The object of our policy in South
Africa Is to preserve our position as the
paramount state, and, secondly, to engender
union and concord between the two races
there"
In conclusion, Mr.. Chamberlain said that it
should have issued an ultimatnm to Presi-
dent Kruger But such an ultimatum would
certainly have been rejected, which would
have led to war. OF course, he added, there
might be contingencies In which a great
power would have to face such an alter
native. If some of those wild rumors attrib-
uted to President Kruger, designed to break
the London convention and to make an
armed attack upon Natal, had been true
England would then have been on the de-
fensive, but, he pointed out the government
could not take military measures to force in
ternal reforms in the Transvaal.
Mr.. Labouchere, Radical member for
Northampton, who followed Mr.. Chamber
lain, made a violent attack upon the British
Chartered South Africa company. He was
inclined to believe, he said, that If Mr..
Chamberlain had been given free hand,
they would not have heard much more of
Mr.. Rhodes and his company. The entire
press, he said, had eonspired to blink the
real truth. The outcome of the situation was
that they had gang of gamblers and
financers, headed by Cecil Rhodes, who wish
ed to rob the public. Mr.. Labouchere
charged Rhodes with lying to conceal his
completely with the invasion of the Trans
vaal and with using his position to advance
his personal interests; With incredible in
fanny, said the editor of Truth, he allowed
his instrument, DR.. Jameson, to be tried.
when he himself was responsible. Every one
of the directors in. the Chartered South
Africa company, Mr., Labouchere concluded
with intensified bitterness, was guilty of
cupabe negligence and showed not even the
proverbia1 honor among thieves in their
financial transactions.
The crowd who had gathered in the house
in anticipation of Mr.. Chamberlain's state
ment dispersed directly he had finished his
speech The remaining speeches on the sub
ject, however, were listened to with apathy,
and the house adiourped at midnight.