The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-06

selves to take what they wanted by a
revolution and the use of arms
One difficulty in dealing with the his
tory Of this revolution lies in the fact
| that, while the men in it had the same
| end in view, they were working toward
! that end with different motives. There
were a great many men in our war
! Of the rebellion who fought for the
dollars they received for fighting, as
! they today fight for pensions, and there
were a great many contractors who
| made money out of the war, but no
one would argue from all that that all
/ the other men in 1t held low motives,
or that the cause for which they fought
was not a great one. There is an ele-
memr in the affair of the Transyaal
which can only be described as the
unknown quantity and that element is,
of course,
MR.. CECIL RHODES.
He would have been benefited by a.
reform in the laws of the Transvaal,
as is well understood, but so would
have every one else who was inter
ested in the mines there, and who was
hampered by the restrictions, taxes and
monopolies, which added a burden Of
expense to every ton OF ore that was ta-
ken out Of the ground. Cecil Rhodes,
as one Of those most largely interested,
was propoTtionately interested in see
ing labor made cheaper, the transpor-
tation made easier and those in office
who were interested in the mines, in
stead Of the Beers, would not AS a.
matter of fact, Mr.. Cecil Rhodes in
terest in the consolidated gold fields
was but one-fifteenth of it's profits so
ii was not money, but the development
of his cherished plan for a combina-
ton OF all the South African republics
that moved him. What he hoped from
the revolution we can imagine; that
he would have looked at a change OF
government in the Tramsvaal as an
other step toward the uniication CT
all the republics in South Africa is
most probable, and he knew that to
such a union the Beers themselves
would never consent. But that the
whole revolution was a plot to seize
the Transvaal for the sake of its gold
mines, and for the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF
Great Britain, and that the men of
the reform committee who rislled their
lives in the cause of revolution We're
the puppets of Rhodes, moving at his
bidding, is absurd.
THERE WE'RE OTHER BIG MEN
in the revolution besides Cecil Rhodes,
and it was perfectly we'll agreed among
these men that no flag but that of the
IranSvaal republic was TO be raised
when the revolution began, and what
ever the Englishmen may have wished,
the Germans, Africanders and those
of the Beers who were in sympathy
with the revolution. and the Ameri-
cans, which latter composed one-sixah
OF the reform committee, formed a
majority which certainly had no i'm
tention of turning the country over to
the queen, and as a marter of history
the Transvaal flag f1oaIted over the gold
fields buildings. which We're the head
quarters of the revolutdonists, from
the first to the last. Personally, 1 am
! convinced, after having talked with
the men who were at the head of this
revolution, that the greater part of
them as honestly believed that they
were acting for the best good of the
country in trying TO overthrow the
Boer government as did the revolution
lists of 1776 in our country, Or as do
the rebels in Cuba at the present day
Six weeks before the Jane sem raid
the reform committee had mapped out
10000 C$350,00O in provisions, which
they expected would outlast a two
months siege; they had arranged that
the water supply of Johannesburg
could be cut off from the outside, and
they had ordered rifles and Maxim
guns, and were smuggling them across
the border. This was the most diff
cult part of the work, for guns are as
strictly prohibited to Uitlanders in
Johannesburg as are public meetings,
and everyone who owned rifle
WAS A MARKED MAN
in consequence. 1t is we'll to remember
this, for 1T is not as though johann
neSburg in that respect reSenbled some
of our own mining towns. Where weap-
ons are sometimes as plentiful as pick
axes, and where a, call to arms would
merely mean the reading of the pay
rolls at the shafts OF the different
mines.
1t was while these guns for defense
We're slowly coming in that Dr. JAIME
son, the administrator Of che Charter
ed company's affairs, was told of the
movement OF the revolutionists, and
asked by them if he would, i'm case
they needed his assistance, come across
the border 30 the aid of his Fellow
cOuntrymen. bringing with him his
mounted police and 1900 extra guns
which they would send him to Mafek-
ing. The gentlemen OF the reform
committee were Dr. Jameson personal
friends, they had trekked with him all
over the surrounding country, hunt
ing, prospecting and exploring; they
hhSW lS was a. IHdn ready lOr aQVeSl-
ture, and that in the easy spirit Of the
unsettled country about them it would
noJ be difficult for him to gather around
him a body of men ready. to- go wher-
ever he led.
Jameson gave his consent readily.
and agreed to the conditions under
which he was to enter the TranSvaal.
These conditions were exceedingly i'm
portant and exceedingly explicit; he
was 70 move only when the reformers
gave the signal for him to do so, and
they as the
CHIEF MOVERS IN THE PLOT.
and the men having most at stake.
We're to be allowed to judge when that
time had come, or if he should come AT
all; that when he came he must bring
1000 men with him and the extra. !. 500
guns on which they counted This he
promised to do, and asked in return
that they should write him a letter
inviting him to cross the border, which
he could show later as his Justification
for his action.
The SITUATION at this time was
stretched geographically in the form of
Triangle with three bases Of action. all
working to the same end. The mem
berS OF the Reform club, who We're pre-
pairing to demand certain reforms and
concessions, and ready, if they failed
to get them peaceably, to fight for
them, were ait Johannesburg; DR.. jaime
son, with his filiousters, who were to
rush in, but only when they were
wanted, and if they were wanted, was
at Mafel1ing, and Cecil Rhodes, the I'M
known quantity, was at the Cape, aid