The record-union., 1896-05-01

persons that Cecil Rhodes. the head
and front of the British South Africa
Company. and other officials of that
concern were not cognizant of the IN
tended raid into the territory of
friendly State, and had no knowledge
that revolution was pending in Jo-
hannesburg.
Some critics of the company, nota-
bly, Mr.. Labouchere, NJ. p, editor of
Truth" held that the company's Off
cials were fully aware of the intended
movements, and scathingly arraigned
them for their duplicity and hypocrisy.
This called down upon the head of La
bouchere vituperative abuse from GER
tain journals, against which there is
more than a suspicion that they are
subsidized by the company. 1t appears
now, however, to be pretty firmly estab-
lished that the event has justified Mr..
Labouchere's charges, and this fact IS
admitted even by papers that have
heretofore been firm in their defense OF
Rhodes and his colleagues.
The publication of the kilograms will
prove rather severe blow to the cock
sure diplomacy of Chamberlain, Secre-
tary of State for the Colonies, who has
1S~AA
skill he had displayed in the negotia-
tions with President Kruger. A care
full review of the facts since the trouble
began will show that every move on
the diplomatic chess-bo has been
won by the man whom many English
men characterize as an ignorant Boer-
He may be ignorant. he himself has
even confessed that he has little learn
in derived from, hooks h1it all tbrOIlsyh
the trouble he has shown that for the
Transvaal he is the right man in the
right place he holds.
He is a natural born diplomat, who
has made a toy of Chamberlain
throughout. His keeping all knowledge
Of the discriminating kilograms from
public knowledge until the most oppor-
tune moment arrived for their publi-
cation is considered, even by those who
can in no sense be called his admirers.
as master stroke of diplomatic Sagac-
ity. 1t leaves the whole crowd of Char
tered Freebooters," as they have been
termed, without leg to stand upon.
So convincing is the proof of their
completely in the crime that some of
their apologists intimate that the dis
patches are forgerieS, or that they have
been willfully mistranslated. There is
convincing evidence, however, that they
are genuine, and that the translations
are correct. They prove that for some
time prior to DR.. Jamesons raid into the
Transvaal the leading officials of the
chartered company were fully aware of
what was going on, and that DR.. Jane
son was acting under instructions for
some one high in the councils of the
company.
AS the case at present stands, Presi-
dent Kruger is master of the situation,
and considerable interest is felt as to
what the next move on the part of Mr..
Chamberlain will be.
1t is noticeable that the papers that
were so bitter in their comments upon
the Transvaal Government when the
announcement was made of the severe
sentences that had been passed upon the
Pretoria prisoners are now rather more
than mild in speaking of the matter,
which is very good proof that the publi
cation of the dispatches has had the
effect that President Kruger intended it
to have. Messrs. Rhodes, Belt and Har-
ris will very likely be called upon to eX-
plain their CONNECTION with the con-
spiracy, and a further explanation will
be due from Mr.. Rhodes of the assur-
ances he gave to Mr.. Chamberlain dur
ing his recent visit to England.
CHARTER MAY BE REVOKED.
LONDON, April 30.-The Daily
News" commenting upon the latest de-
velopments in the case, will tomorrow
say: If the issues involved were not so
serious it would be tempting to linger
on the farcical side of the revolution,
which went off at half cock
1t adds that it does not assume that
the London section of the Chartered
Company was privy to the transactions
disclosed, but inasmuch as the South
African section evidently was the Gov
ernment will Immediately have to face a
demand for the revocation of the COM
pany's charter. The paper concludes by
asking why DR.. Jameson has been made
a scapegOat.