The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-16
TROUBLE IN THE TRANSVAAL.
britain MAY MAKE A HOSTILE
DEMONSTRATION.

Wind with which the General
Public 1t Not Familiar Yet-The
BOers Apt TO Secure the Active In
terventiOn of Europe.
London. Feb. 15-The Anglo-Boer
troubles, arising from DR.. Jameson's raid
into the Transvaal or perhaps more re-
mote cause, do not appear likely 10 be set
tied by a mere exchange Of diplomatic cor
respondence. or a visit Of President Kru-
ger to London. On the surface all appears
to be clear sailing, but 1t can be stated
with certainty that there is something in
the wind of which the general public has
as yet no knowledge Pretoria advices
on Thursday showed that the Boer gov
ernment was incenscd, and with reason,
because of Mr.. Chamberlalns dispatch to
Sir Hercules Robinson, her majesty's high
commissioner in South Africa, in which
the secretary of state for the colonies set
forth the alleged grievances of the for
eign residents of the Transvaal and sug-
gested a scheme Of reforms, which includ-
ed the granting of autonomy to the resi-
dents of the Rand. President Kruger.
thought that this was an unwarranted in
terference with the internal affairs of
tho South African republic, and he did
not hesitate to plainly say so. on the
face Of things it appeared that the mod
GRAFTON Of President Kruger toward DR..
Jameson and his fellow-filibusters. and the
ostenslble intention of the British gov
ernment to protect the Beers in their
rights would, after some diplomatic cor
respondence, result in the restoration of
the condition of affairs that prevailed be-
fore the raid.
Beneath the surface il appears that the
British government is not acting entirely
in good faith. The representatives of the
United Press learns from an official
source that the war Office acting under
orders from the government, has made
every preparation to send an army corps
of 20000 men to South Africa. Despite the
silence of the English papers and in face
of possible denials, the absolute accuracy
of this statement can be relied upon. The
war office was consulted by the govern
ment the week after Emperor William
sent his dispatch to President Kruger as
to how long 1t would take to land fully
equipped army in Natal. Plans were pre-
pared between the war Office and the
admiralty, with the result that II was re-
ported that an expedition could be ready
within three months. The details OF the
scheme are known only to the heads of
the war office and the members of the in
ner cabinet, but the information received
by the representative Of the United Press
points to q large contingent being drawn
from India, cavalry, artillery and infan-
try, including sikhs and other native
troops.
The promise of peaceful settlement of
the Transvaal difficulty does not appear to
have sufficed to induce the British gov
ernment to abandon its project. Final
orders for the dispatch of the troops have
not yet been given, but If the present de-
signs are carried out a full army corps
will be in Natal some time in May. What
real use is to be made of this force can
The conservatives organ, the Globe, alone
of all the newspapers seems TO nave re-
celved some hint of the government in
tentions. 1T argues that soft words with
the Beers is a. sheer waste of time. Eng
land, it declares, will get what she wants
only by a display of force not an actual
collision, but q demonstration. therefore,
the government must increase its forces
in South Africa to such an extent as to
convince the government at Pretoria that
neither the Beers nor Germans Will be
longer allowed to prevent submission to
England's just demands. The Globe does
not attempt to estimate what force will be
required to overawe the Beers, but says
that the government has not
enough troops in in s5pat South Africa re;i
moment it may be imperatively nee
essary to do. The English after their
thorough defeat at Majuba HILL in 1881,
had 10000 troops opposed TO the Beers,
who were not at all overawed then. If
to the protected expedition there should
be added the existing forces in South
Africa, there would be, of all arms COM
Dined, from Z0OoD TO 8J,UUU men, VINO cOuiu
be used in a demonstration against the
TransVaal. The republic might and prob
ally would find an ally in the Orange
Free State. 1t would also receive assist
ance from Dutch sympathizers in Cape
Colony, and would probably secure the
active Intervention of Europe. 1t would
be a big job for England to make even
a limited demonstration.
Although the first lord of the treasury,
A. J. Balfour, referred hopefully in the
House of Commons last night to President
L Trs4frr VIC sfvacr IN n
the question at issue, nobody within or
without the official circle believes that
he is coming.
announced his readiness to abandon his
proposal that home rule should be grant
ed to the residents OF the Rand, and to
ask President Kruger to suggest an alter
native. The sturdy Boer president stated
the alternative explicitly in his last dis
patch, in which he declared that the
Iransvaal would allow OF no interference
in its internal affairs.
With this dispatch before him, Mr.. Bal
four affirmed the decision of the British
government to interfere somehow to Sc
cure to the foreigners in the TranSVaal
equal rights with the Beers. The ques-
ton now Is what form the interference
The ministerial explanations in parlia-
nent regarding Armenia have not been
satisfactory even to me 70, EoyernmIent .
Prime Minister SalisburyS reputation.
The old description Of "a lath painted to
look like an IRON is pleuLlIully QuOLeu.
The liberals have postponed their general
attack on the governments Armenian
policy until the newly issued blue book
can be studied.
The tone OF the conservative and liberal
speeches in the debate last night in the
House Of Commons and the concurrent
comments of to-day of the newspapers of
both parties disclose the fact that there IS
a current of opinion favorable to British
Intervention in the Transvaal on the pre-
text of defending the rights of the for
eign residents of that republic Sir Will
liam Vernon-Harcourt's moralizing on the
fate which attends those who interfere in
the arrangement of domestic differences
did not seem to be taken seriously by the
liberals whose leader in the House he is.
The Westminster Gazette, which is a
liberal organ, replies to Sir William, say
ing that as far as the domestic compare
son goes Great Britain has already Sc
cured a locus standi by checking the fight
between the Boer husband and the UfI-
lander wife It adds that If the Boer
laws make it impossible for man to be-
come a burgher they must not at the
same time deprive him Of his rights as
The gravity of the situation is becom-
ing recognized.
of a terrible war underlies the declara-
tions Of Baron Marschall Won Bieber-
stein. the German foreign minister, that
Germany will not abandon her resolve to