Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-02
OFFICIALS ARE PROVED GUILTY
Cecil Rhodes and Chartered Company
Connected with the Raid.

LONDON, May 1T would be dlmCult 10
overestlmate the sensation which has been
caused in England by the publication Of
the substance of the kilograms and docu-
ments which have come into the possession OF
the authorities of the South African republic
The weight Of evidence which they furnish
against persons to whom they were addressed
and by whom they were signed Of being
engaged in a conspiracy to overthrow the
Transvaal, is admitted to be crushing.
The opinion of the press very generally
condemns them, but strenuous efforts are
made to prevent a sweeping condemnation
OF the authorities of Cape Colony, and Of
the British Chartered South African com
pany, other than the individuals whose names
are included In the documentary evidence.
The Times, in an editorial on the sub
Ject, says: ut is impossible to ignore the
gravity of the conclusion to which the pub
iished kilograms point. They establish be-
yond the possibility Of doubt that Hon. Cecil
Rhodes the premier of Cape Colony, Mr..
Alfred Belt, director In the British South
African company. and Mr.. Rutherford Har-
| ris, secretary Of the British South African
company, were privy to the movement
| against johannesburg and that the leaders
of the movement counted upon their help
and countenance to ensure its success. The
| kilograms must be taken to prove that Mr..
| Rhodes approved the revolution. which was
desired In johannesburg, but nothing in the
correspondence goes to show that the actual
CROSSING Oh ine frontier Dy Dr, Jameson
under the circumstances under which 1t
eventually occurred was known to MIR.
| Rhodes or carried out with his approval.
The reasons which actuated DR.. Jameson in
crossing the frontier when he did remain
clouded in mystery. His conduct awaits the
explanation he may have to give at his
trial"
The Times editorial article then pro-
ceeds to justify Mr.. Rhodes for consenting
to an armed force on the frontier, on the
! c fIn
that in several years an attempt to obtain
I a redress Of the uitlander grievances by
force might be necessary. This was shown" "
said the Times, "by the report that Sir
Henry Loch the governor of Cape Colony,
had knowledge of such an intention.
Nobody will seriously blame Mr.. Rhodes
for regarding this movement without dis
favor, but his position as premier should
have restrained him from mixing actively
in 1t. Success might possibly have excused,
but it could not have justified the part he
played"
Mr.. Rhodes, Mr. Belt and Mr.. Harris may
be called to act as Individuals; but this does
not necessarily involve a condemnation of
the company. In the question what should
be done with Mr.. Rhodes and the chartered
company it must not be forgotten that there
is strong center of anti-British influence
at Pretoria ready to take advantage of any
weakness on our part.
SIR HENRY LOCHS PART
The Times has dispatch from
Paris quoting dispatch to the
Temps from Pretoria which says: The gov
ernment has found among the papers of
Lionel Phillips, president of the Johannes
burg Chamber of Mines, a letter bearing
date of July 1, 1894 to a London financer
proving that during visit to johannesburg
Sir Henry Brougham Loeb, the then gov
ernor and high commissioner OF Cape Colony
asked Mr. Phillips whether johannesburg
could hold out for six months and what
arms she possessed, and that he offered to
spin out the Swaziland convention negotia-
tions for six months to enable johannesburg
to prepare and to bring troops for an inva-
sion of the Transvaal.
In the House of Lords today Baron Loeb
formerly Sir Henry Brougham Loeb, gov
ernor and high commissioner of Cape Colony
made a statement regarding this announce
ment. Baron Loeb said that he denied in
the most unqualified manner the statement
that he had at any time proposed an in
vasion of the Transvaal.
Baron Loeb warmly repudiated the idea
that he had in any way countenanced the
trouble at johannesburg saying that, on the
contrary, when he visited Pretoria in 1894
he did his utmost to dissuade the uitlanders
from engaging in any disturbance and he re-
fused to go on to johannesburg in view of
the fact that trouble was brewing. He ad-
mitted he had made an inquiry regarding
the quantity of arms at johannesburg but
the baron explained he did in order to i'm
press the uitlanders with the futilty of
causing disturbance which he pointed out
to them the Transvaal government would
be justified in strngently represeng.