The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-17
SOUTH AFRICA'S FUTURE.
MR. JEROME'S FRANK STATE
WENT OF BRITISH pOLICY.

that the political fate of South Africa will be
one of the foremost subjects In human interest
during the next few years. The immediate
turn OF events there undoubtedly hangs upon
the issue OF the conflict now raging in this
country between honor and prestige. That
issue has at last been made clear and definite
by President KrnRer's publication Of the in.
eliminating series OF kilograms which pre-
coded the Jameson raid. We have to thank
jerome X. jerome for n remarkably clear and
frank exposition of the British policy that
might makes right" which Is now being al.
vocated In scarcely disguised language from
the London Times down to the lowest organ Of
interruptions British jingoism. Jerome says:
a empire beyond the seas Is an absolute
necessity as an appendnge to the British Isles.
we had to steal America and turn out The orig
mai redskins from their property. We had
to seize upon Australia in the same way, and
to conquer India. We are now engaged in tho
necessary but difficult operation OF annexing
Africa. The majority of Englishmen ut the
bottom of their hearts approve the scheme.
They see It's sweet reasonnbleness and its In.
evitableness. We have already secured o fairly
good slice Of that continent. and have got to
the length Of clubbing the original owners
rebels For myself, l profess to no sentl-
mentality on the point. | see a great benefit
TO the world rs q whole In England declaring
herself master of first one and then another of
the African kingdoms and killing such OF the
m.advised but brave natives who attempt to
defend their property. Some civilized nation
will have to take Africa In hand. and of all
nations l consider Great Britain the most en-
titled and the most capable. But would 1t
not be better for us to acknowledge the plain
fact and go to work in a businesslike manner
without any further hypocrisy?'
whether Mr.. Jerome intends to be so or not.
this brutally plain statement Of the case fairly
represents the opinion OF the 'imperialist'
section of the British public. Mr.. jerome. to
be sure. goes on to crlticise severely the adj
mlnistration of the British South Africa Com
pany, and demands that government by char
tered companies in all parts of the empire shall
cease. The struggle now in full force over the
fate of the British South Africa Company is
in itself a matter of great Interest 1t is a
peculiar fact. which I have several times
pointed out In dispatches to THE Sun. that
the 'imperialist' press organs, from the Times
down, hold briefs for the chartered company,
and for Cecil Rhodes, which they defend with
even greater energy than they do the idea of
the exten sion Of the British empire in Africa.
The newspaper eulogy OF Mr.. Rhodes and Of
the British South Africa Company Is so full
some and discriminating that it is worth
while to point out q few simple facts in the
history Of bo:h the man and the company.
There Is a bit of secret history in connection
with the birth Of tie Chartered Company
which ia Interesting. In 1880 the well.knonn
nbi,antbrop;st merchant and shi, ow,or cr
William Mckinnon of Liverpool. obtained from
the Sultan of Zanzibar certain magnificent
concessions OF territory which were subse-
Quently acquired by the Imperial British East
Africa Company, also chartered. The Beard
of Directors of this comnanv g, moda n "a
ar stocratic as possible, and included the Mar.
ouis of I.orne. son-in.law Of tho Once, A.
about this time the Earl os Fife HAVING ~
ried the Prince of Wales's d.nyht.r md no.
Gonna n dute VIVA ,,so ee.tin, sorrooa 90.
creased income and wanted N ioi, Tho po,r,
Sir William McKinnon tbinttng TINT ona
royal son-i in law among bis frionds wos o,i.o
sufficient. and perbaps for other reasons "a.
fused To find room for tho Juks wbo was
mu,h pioued and disappolnted.
II was inst at this tir,e that Cecil Rhodes
WAS soaking sunnort in inauentia, ouert.ra IN
London for his scheme for tho organization ~
ths British South Africa c,uro,y ,s.ar
being snubbed by Sir William NIcKinnon the
Duke of Fife enthusiastically ioin,d AR Rhodes
In the latter scheme. Hayinp secnred ore
duke. MIR. Rhodes soon gained tho spnnort NJ
another. and sufficient political inauence was
obtained to secure from tho Gnvernmont tbs
charter which Mr.. Rhodes Ind nreyiorsIv
sought in vain.
The term, of that cbarter as e,erybodr
knows conveved roval and nract,caI,, Iinit
less power. Then began the discracefuI ne.
eotiations. so called. between Mr.. Rhodes aud
The various chiefs and kings in the vast south.
ern half of the continent. At n time when
the selling of firearms and liouor To Africa, ma.
tives was being denounced alI over Errono tba
agents of Mr., Rhodes made n treaty With To
Benpula for the transfer of n largo norton NJ |
his heritage for the sum of ST. 600 and I ooo
Martini Henry rifles. or course the giving of
the rides was only D part of the deep.Iaid Mot
Io Benpula. feeling himself strong in modern
weapons and being insidiouslv larosscd into
rebellion by British agents, sought to retak,
his territory. This of course gave rise N The
NIatabele war and furnished the do.irel onnor-
tunity for stealing the rest of the Kingdom
Such is a fair sample of the Cr,rtercd com.
pany,s methods of acquisition and ,duinistro-
tion. The financial history NJ tho concorn "a