New-York tribune., 1896-05-10
RIkER'S,
9Th Ave-, Cor. 22d ST.
CHAMBERLAIN RESTRAINED.
CAUTIOUS TRANSvAAL POLICY
ADOPTED AGAINST HIS WISHES.
NOTHING NEW DISCLOSED IN THE COLONIAL SEC
RETARYs sPEECH-THE CABINET WAIT
ING FOR SOME ACT OF AGGREs-

|
| House OF Commons yesterday OF the situation
| In South Africa was discussed by the Cabinet
| before the meeting of the House. Whatever Mr..
Chamberlains personal desire 10 attack Cecil
! Rhodes and President Kriiger OF the Transvaal,
| against both OF whom he is understood 20 be In
| censed might have been, the Cabinet decided 10
| maintain the cautious and tentative policy en-
| bodied in the Colonial Secretarys speech IhH
| House. therefore learned nothing new. Keeping
| within his brief Mr Chamberlain repeated MS
| promise to make a searching inquiry into the
| actions Of the British South Africa Company. but
| maintained that such inquiry must not be
| opened until the judicial proceedings against
| thoss who took an active part in the raid into
| the Transvaa should be ended. as such an In
| vestigation as II was proposed 10 make might IN
| some way initiate against the interests OF the
| defendants He added that when these proceed
ings were finished ne would propose the appoint
ment Of n tolnt committee Of members OF the
House Of Commons and House of Lords TO silt
the affairs Of the South Africa Company thor
oughly and ascertain what responsibility, II any.
attaches to the companys officials for the Trans-
vaa raid.
The speech generally left the situation un-
touched The company, the opponents Of which
steadily demand the revocation OF It's charter,
loses nothing; Mr.. Rhodes IL not despolled of hls
authority and is not recalled from Rhodesa, and
| the British High Commissioner In South Africa,
Sir Hercules Robinson. Governor Of Cape Colony.
comes to England not t. be deprived of his Of
! ncial head as has been intmated. but only to
| confer with the members OF the Government here
regarding President KRUGER refusal to accept
| Mr. Chamborlain's Invitation 70 visit London 10
discuss matters pertaining TO the Transvaal
Neither Mr. Chamberlain's speech nor a Blue
Book that was issued yesterday. which seemed
to surprise the English press. disclosed any more
| thar was statot IA the dispatches of the United
| Press more than a month ago. The Beers de-
| mand the entire independence of the Transvahl.
and they mean to obtain IT. Mr. Chamberlains
declaration that Great Britain does not desire
to interfere with the internal affairs OF the South
African Republic is mere verbal fencing. and
will in no wise ward off the Hoer movement FOR
absolute freedom from British control. internal
or external The Cabinet has the strongest red
sons 70 treat with reserve the whole South
African question. Governor Robinson telegraphs
from Cape Town: our best policy IL t. sit
| etill." and a majority Of the Cabinet agrees In
| this opinion.
| Some OF the Minister'S including Mr. Chamber
lain, whose amour prOpre has been hurt by the
fact that the Boer President has ortwtted him
In diplomacy, desire that active measures should
be taken to assert Great Brltain's alleged rights
in the Transyaal. but in the mean time they CO.
nclde In tho opinion that 1t will be best for the
Government 10 lie low and avail, some aggrcs-
sion on the part Of the Boens which will justify
the sending Of & ultmatum involving war. The
Ministry has not closed its eyes to the fact that
war il the possible outcome Of the negotiations.
A question which has been debated r. the Mn
| sterial circle s whether the retention Of South
| Africa Is worth a which would involve an
immense expenditure of money and men. The
almost unanimous feeling INSIDE and outside the
| Cabinet is for war should the Beers declare the
convention OF 1854 ebrogated and unite with the
Orange Free State and the Cape Afrikanders In
defiance Of Great Britain.
In high military quarters. where the plans OF
| British campaign have been considered, the
difficulty OF holding the vast territory OF South'
Africa against general Afrikander rising Is
fully recognized. 1t s seen that the want OF a
good port as a basis OF operations for q large ex
petition is the first trouble. The whole coast
Of South Africa has no such port. Hence the
War Office has been urging the Government TO
acquire Delagoa Bay. East Africa. from the
Portuguese obtain Portugal's consent for the
landing of British troops there The British
Ministers meanwhile repudiete the idea OF war.
but the Trnsvaal Government continues itS
preparations for such contingency.
The whole situation points to tremendous
cept the Transvaal's challenge and submit 10 tho
alteration OF the Anglo-Bocr convention which
President Kruger demands. The Liberal press
advocates the adoption Of immediate measures
| to satisfy Afrkander sentiment by abOlshing
the British South Africa Company and the plac
ing Of Rhodcsia under the control Of the Gov
ernment OF Cape Colony. Ultima tely.' says
! "The Speaker" "the Afrikanders must govern
| Rhodesa. II Is necessary. therefore. that repre-
sentative South African Dutchmen be consulted
before anything Is done. II will be good con-
JameSDn's III
arises q South African dominion"
TIE FRIENDS OF RHODES PLEASED.
| The party In Parliament which supports Mr..
| Rhodes believes that yesterdays debate In the
| House OF Commons permanently shelves all dec-
sive action against the kjobbing conaprators.
| The proposal for the appointment of commits
| sion. which the Governments supporters pretend
is the best provisional solution, Is a mere farce as
II Will merely shove aside the whole matter
Prior TO the commission opening its sttings the
| trial Of Dr. jameson must be finished AS his
trial before the High Court cannot occur before
| the close OF July. the commission cannot be
| formed until the fall The inquiry vii. be a pro-
trac;ed one, the ground covering the whole ex-
| istence OF the British South Africa Company
II Will therefore be impossible for the commission
| 10 report TO Parliament before spring These
facts are not yet perceived By the English press
| or II they are understood no mention Is made
| Of them. The Liberal papers however, seem to
labor under the hazy perception that the Govern
| ment is humbuggng the country for the
| try's good.
Mr.. Chamberlain's intimate friends say that IL
| the country knew all the contents OF the docu-
ments In the possession OF the Government
and Of the communications exchanged between
| the BOer and German Governments disclosing
| the plans for the acqurement Of Delagoa Bay
and the driving Of the British wholly out OF
south Africa, great war could not be delayed
| for week. The mystery OF these documents Is
| often referred TO by the Conservative papers
which say that II they were revealed they would
| Justify the plot Of Mr.. Rhodes. According 10
trese papers It was to batie the plans OF Presi-
dent Kruger that the raid led BY DR. Jameson