The Portland daily press., 1896-05-11
FEAR OF HUMILIATION.
The Transvaal Affair is Troubling
England Greatly.

The Transvaal Affair is Troubling
England Greatly.
The Policy of Sitting Still All That is
Left-Health of the Queen and That of
Paderewski.
London, May 9.--The latest advioes
from Cairo arc to the effect that the
Dervishes are deserving the Khalifa It is
said that the Egyptian advance upon the
Nile will DO expedited as there is now
decreased chance of severe fighting. 1t
| is reported that Italy will only hold
Kassala until it shall be occupied by the
English and Egyptian troops.
The tenor of the speech delivered by
| Colonia. Secretary Chamberlain in tho
House of Commons yesterday on the sit
uation in South Africa was discussed by
the Cabinet before the meeting of the
House. Whatever MIR. Chamherlain's
personal desire might have been to at
tack Cecil Rhodes and President Kruger
OF the Transvaal, against both of whom
he Is understood to be incensed, the cab
met decided to maintain the cautious
and tentative policy embodied IN the
| Colonial Secretary's pronouncement
The House. therefore, learned nothing
new The speech generally left the sit
uation untouched.
Neither Mr.. Chamberlain's speech nor
Blue Book that was issued yesterday,
which seemed to surprise the English
press, disclosed any more than was stated
over month ago. The Boers demand
| the entire independence of the Transvaal,
| and they .nea n to obtain it. Mr.. Cham
berlain's declaration that Great Britain
| does not desire to interfere with the in
ternal affairs of the South African repub-
lie, is mere verbal fencing and will in
no wise ward off the Boer movement for
absolute freedom from British control,
internal or external.
The cabinet has the strongest reasons
to treat with reserve the whole South
Africa in question. Gov. Robinson tele-
graphed from Cape Town: "Our best pol
10y is to sit still" and 10 njority of the
cabinet agreed in this opinion. A seq
tion OF the ministers, including Mr..
Chamberlain, whose amour proper has
been hurt because the Boer President has
outwitted him in diplomacy, desire that
active measures ehould be taken to assert
Great
BRITAIN'S ALLEGED RIGHTS
in the Transvaal, but in the meantime
they coincide in the opinion that it will
be best for the government to lie low and
await some aggression on tho part of the
Beers that will Justify the sending of an
ultimatum involving war. The ministry
hos not closed it's eyes to the fact that war
is the possible outcome OF the negotia-
tons. A question that has been debated
in the ministerial circle Is whether the
retention of South Africa is worth q
war that would involve an immense ex-
penditure of money and men.
The almost unanimous feeling inside
and outside the cabinet is for war, shonld
the Beers declare the convention of 1884
abro2ated and unite with the Orange
Free State and the Cape Afrikanders Il
defiance of Great Britain.
III ni8d lillUSfy WHcI0 LILO
plans Of % British campaign have been
considered the difficulty Of holding the
vast territory of south Africa against a
general Afrikander rising is fully recog-
niZed. 1t is seen that the want of
& good port as 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 urgi ng
tho government to acquire Delagoa Bay
from the Portuguese, or Purtugal's as
SAINT for the landing of British troops
there. Tho British ministers meanwhile
repudiate the idea of % war, but the
Transvaal government continues is pre-
parations for such contingency.
The whole situation points to
TREMENDOUS HUMILIATION
OF Great Britain if she does not accept the
Transvaaps challenge and submit to the
alteration of the Anglo oer convention
which President Kruger demands. 7 he
Liberal press advocates the adoption of
immediate measures to satisfy Afrikand-
err sentiment by abolishing tho British
South Africa company and the placing
of Rhodes under the control Of the gov.
ornment of Cape Colony. Ultimately,
says the speaker, "the Afrikanders must
govern Rhodesist. 1t is necessary, there
fore, that representative South African
Dutohmen be consulted before anything
is done. 1t will be good consequences OF
DIR. Jameson's raid if out Of it there
arises South African dominion.
A conference has been held by the
Irish Unionis6 Peers and mcmbers of the
House of Commons at which it was de-
eide to sound the government on the pro-
position, to abolish the Viveroyalty in
Ireland before coming to q definite reso-
luton on the question. A majority of
the conferences favored the proposed
change.