The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-19
THE SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY
Nearly All of Britsin's Royal Family Have
Made Money Out of 1t.

Nearly All of Britain's Royal Family Have
Made Money Out of 1t.
| While there are some who alleqe
that, owing to it's aristocratic compost
ton, the chartered company of South
| Africa, of which Mr.. Cecil Rhodes II
the presiding deity, will never forfel II
ITS charter in spite f the inconceivabl A
act of aggression upon the Transvas \
republic by its officers and admins
| traitors, there are others of a more
cynical turn of mind and acquainted
with the financial circumstances of the
company, who claim that the forfeiture
of the charter would be the happiest
thing that could possibly happen to
the company, and that DR.. Jamesd rs
raid across the British border was
undertaken with the express purpose
of bringing about that event. There
| is no doubt that the company for some
Eime has been in a very bad way finarI
cially, that it finds itself unable to fV.-
fill its promises and pay to its stocii-
holders dividends on the shares which
the present holders have purchased N
enormous premiums from the non \
founders of the enterprise. u
If the company were to go into lioui-
dation by ordinary bankruptcy, due
t. the failure to fulfill it's undertak-
ings, there would be terrible rowlin
London, one which might affect .eten
the stability of the throne, sir lz..
would be found that not only members
of the aristocIacy but even of the reign
| 90
money by the sale of shares in tie con-
Germ at huge premiums to the present
unfortunate holders, most of whom
will be ruined. The natural DISPOSE
ton of people under such circum-
stances is to allege fraud, and unfortu-
Eately, there has been much in connec-
lion with the enterprise that appears
exceedingly fishy, to say the least.
Now, a forfeiture of the charter would
practically relieve the company of much
of the odium with which it would other
wise be saddled in The event of failure,
and the blame of the latter could be
lait to great extent upon the govern
mcnt, the directors of the company
claiming that they could easily have
fulfilled all their engagements had not
the British government stepped in and
ruined the concern by repeating its
charter.
This is the only plausible excuse for
the otherwise absolutely insane freak
of DR.. Jameson, one Of ire most clever,
level-headed and brilliant of lieuten-
ants of Mr.. Cecil 2hodes--in one word,
Il man possessing all the traditional
shrewdness of the Scotchman coupled
with the spirit of adventure of the
Englishman. He is Just the kind of man
ready to sacrifice himself - cover the
rerreat-the financial retreat-of his
associates and friends.
The founders of the company are,
first and foremost, Cecil Rhodes, a
member of the queens privy council
and prime minister of Cape Colony,
next in Importance to his principal
partner in the concern being the duke
of Fife, son-in-law of the prince of
Wales, and the one of all the members
of the British mobility to whom the
queen has shown the greatest degree
of favor. Then there IS the duke of
Abercorn, chief of the prince of Wales
household, the leader of the conserva-
tive party in Ireland and brother of
Lady Blanford, mother of the duke of
Marlborough. A fourth is Earl
Gray, son of that Gen. Gray who
was so many years private secretary to
the queen and the prince consort and
governor of the prince of Wales before
the latter attained mis- majority.
1t VIII be seen from these names that
the social and political Importance of
thC leading spirits in the South Africa
company are such that neither Lord
Salisbury nor Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain,
the secretary of state for the colonies,
would dare to take upon themselves the
responsibility of annulling the charter
save with the consent and approval of
the two dukes, the earl and the privy
councillor and colonial premier chiefly
interested in the affair.
Let it be added that there is hardly
member of the royal family, from the
prince of Wales down to Prince Henry
OF Battenberg, who has not made money
out of the concern and held shares in
it, and the same may be said of the
principal members of the royal house
hold and society, the grand send-off
which Cecil Rhodes company received
being in a great measure due to the
discrimination which he displayed in
ajlotting founders shares only to those
who, either through their social or Of
fetal influence, could promote the in
tcrcsts of the concern. Most of them,
however, have been clever enough to
unload their holdings when the shares
were at the highest notch.-Chicago
Record.
| A Mr.. MalaprOp.
A real Mr.. Malaprop was discovered