The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-10
BOERS DEFYING JOHN BULL.
THE OUTLOOK N SOUTH AFRICA
STILL sQUALLY.

General Africnnder Uprising-The
Cabinet Doubtful whether the Re
tention OF the Territory IS Worth
I the Vast Expenditure of Money
I and Men That Would BE Involved.
! London, May 9-The tenor Of the speech
delivered by Colonial Secretary Chamber
| lain in the House Of Commons yesterday
/ on the situation in South Africa was dis
/ cussed by the cabinet before the meeting
/ of the House. Whatever Mr.. Chamber
/ lains personal desire might have been to
+ attack Cecil Rhodes and President Kru-
/ ger OF the Transvaal against both of
/ whom he is understood to be incensed, the
/ cabinet decided TO maintain the cautious
/ and tentative policy embodied in the colo
/ NAL secretarys pronouncemenL The
/ House, therefore, learned nothing new.
/ Keeping within his brief Mr.. Chamberlain
/ repeated his promise to make a searching
/ inquiry into the action OF the British South
! Africa Company, but maintained that such
+ an inquiry must not be opened until the
/ judicial proceedings against those who
/ took an active part in the raid into the
| Transvaal should be ended as such an in
| vestigation as it was proposed to make
might in some way initiate against the in
terests of the defendants. He added that
would propose the appointment of a joint
| cOmmitte of the House of Commons and
| House of Lords to thoroughly sift the af-
| fairs Of the South Africa Company and as
/ certain what responsibility, If any, at
| taches to the companys officials for the
| Transvaal raid.
| untouched. The company, the opponents
| of which steadily demand the revocation
Of it's charter, loses nothing; Mr.. Rhodes
! is not despOiled Of his authority and is not
| recalled from Rhodeslai ana the Brltlsh
| high commissioner in South Africa, Sir
| Hercules Robinson, governor of Cape Col
onyi comes to England, not to pc deprlN-
| ed of his official head as has been intt-
| mated, but only to confer with the mem
| bers Of the government here regarding
| President Krueer's refusal to accept Mr.
ChamDerlain's invitation to Visit London
1 to discuss matters pertaining to the
Neither Mr.. Chamberlain's speech or a
/ blue book that was issued yesterday
| which seemed to surprise the English
| press, disclosed any more than was stated
/ in these dispatches over q month ago. The
/ Beers demand the entire independence of
| the Transvaal and they mean to obtain
| it, Mr.. Chamberlaln's declaration that
Great Britain does not desire to interfere
| with the internal affairs Of the South Al
| rican republic is mere verbal fencing, and
will in no wise ward off the Boer move
ment for absolute freedom from British
control internal or external. The cabinet
reserve the whole South African question.
Gov. Robinson telegraphs from Caoe
Town: "Our best policy is to sit still"
And a majority of the cabinet agrees IN
this opinion. A section of the ministers,
including Mr.. Chamberlin, whose amour
prOpre has been hurt, believe that the
Boer president has outWltted Mr.. Cham-
berlain In diplomacy and desire that active
measures should be taken to assert Great
Britain's alleged rights in the Transvaal
but in the meantime they coincide IN
the opinion that it win be best for the
government to lie low and await some
zion #1nrne
VIII JusuIy the sending or an ultimalum
involving war The ministry has not clos
ed its. eyes TO the fact that war is the
possible outcome of the negotiations.
| A question has been debated in the min
! isterial circle s3 whether the retention Of
South Africa Is worth a war that would
involve an immense expenditure Of money
and men. The almost unanimous feel-
ing inside and outside the cabinet is for
war should the Beers declare the conven-
ton of 1891 abroSated and unite with the
| Orange Free State and the Cape Afrik-
anders in defiance Of Great Britain.
In high military quarters, where the
plans of a British campaign have been
| considered the difficulty OF holding The
vast territory of South Africa against a
general Afrikander rising is fully recog-
nzed. 1t is seen that the want of a good
port as a basis of operations for a large
/ expedition IS the initial trouble. The
! whole coast Of South Africa has no such
/ port Hence the war Office has been urg.
ing the government to acquire Delagoa
| Bay, East Africa, from the Portuguese
or PortugaFs assent for the landing OF
British troops there. The T9itish minis
ters meanwhile reDudate the idea Of a
war, but the TransVaal government con
tinues its preparations for such a con-
| tingency.
The whole situation points to tremend-
GUS humiliation of Great Britain if she
does not accept the TransVaaPs chal-
lenge and submits to the alteration of The
AnglO-Boer convention, which President
Kruger demands. The liberal press advo-
Gates the adoption of immediate measures
70 satisfy Afrikander sentiment by abol-
10 yrf A ersf.
and the placing of RhOdesia under the
control of the government of Cape Colony.
! ultimately" says the Speaker "the
Afrikanders must govern Rhodesia. IT is
necessary therefore that representative
South African Dutchmen be consulted be-
Tore anything IS done 1t will be a good
| consequence of DR.. Jamesons raid II out
Of il there arises South African do
The party in parliament that supports
Mr.. Rhodes are quietly grinning over yes
terdays debate in the House of Com
mons, believing that il permanently
sheiyes az decision action against the
StOck-1obbing cOnspirators. The prOposal
1of Ihe appointment of a commission.
Whlch the government supports pretend
is the best provisional solution is a mere
farce, as it will merely shove aside the
whole matter. Prior to the commission
opening it's sittings the trial of DR. Jane
son must be concluded. As his trial be
fore the high court cannot occur before
the close Of july, the commission cannot
be formed until autumn. The inquiry Will
be pEOtracted one, the ground covering
ll4t WLDlG tAlS SltHEG Oh Llc BfltlSn SOuEn
Africa Company 1t will therefore, be
impossible for the commission to report
to parliament before spring. Those facts
are not perceived by the English press, or
if they are understood, no mention is made
Of them
The liberal papers, however seem to
labor under the hazy perception that the
government is humbugging the country
for the countrys good. Mr. Chamber
lains intimate friends say that if the
country knew all the contents of the doc
uments now in possession of the govern
ment, and of the communications that
were exchanged between the
Boer and German governments,
disclosing the plans for the ac-
ouirement of DelagOa Bay and the
driving of the British wholly out Of South
Africa, a great war could not be delayed
for a week. The mystery OF these docu-
ments is often referred to by the conser-
vative papers. which say if they were re-
yealed they would Justify the plot Of Mr..
! Rhodes.
According to these papers it was to
battle the plans of President Kruger that
the raid led by DR. Jameson was under
Fa1r IA q