The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-16
"EEN KWAJE VROUW"
WHAT OLD MAN KRUGER CALLS
QUEEN VICTORIA.

Not Know What 1t Means-They Charge
| the South African President With At.
tempting to Pick a Quarrel With Their
| Country-EngIand Preparing to Annex
the TransvaaI - Preparations for the
| Queens Sixtieth Anniversary.
| copyrighted by The New York Sum-
| London, March 13.-Pubhc attention
! has been 50 concentrated for several
weeks upon the crisis in the East that
/ little notice has been taken Of the real
| ly critical relations now existing be-
! tween Great Britain and the Trans
vaal republic. There is a strong reas-
on for believing that the English gov
! ernment is seeking the earliest oppor-
/ tunity or excuse for making one more
| attempt to crush the little republic
which so many times has successfully
repulsed British invasions.
Colonial Secretary Cham berlain is
credited with just such an outrageous
policy and his attitude on several re-
cent occasions has done much to JUS
tify the suspicion. He emphasized re-
peatedly in his examination Of Mr..
Rhodes before the South Africa COM
mission his conviction that the present
! regime in the Transvaal cannot con-
tinue and openly inttmated that the
British government would have given
full support to an ultimatum last Oc-
tober had it been necessary. All of Mr.
amberlain'S incest utterances in par
lament in reference to the Transvaal
have been sarcastic and intolerant He
openly declares that the present lela-
tions between the two countries are
gravely strained.
There has been free talk within a
few days Of an ultimatum to Presi-
dent Kruger, with Lord Wolseley and
10000 troops in the background There
is, of course, every effort % make it
appear that President Kruger is TAX
ing the offensive, but nobody need be
deceived thereby.
The keen old statesman Of the Rand
knows perfectly we'll that England is
trying to pick a quarrel with him, and
he is simply making ready. as he should
do, for one more gallent defense OF the
BOer liberties against the rapaciOus
greed Of gold worshipping Englishmen.
This week he was making speeches in
the Orange Free State, where he has
| been on a mission, which is pretty
we'll understood to include a scheme Of
| an offensive as we'll as a defensive al
lance of the two African republics
against England. His peculiar style of
oratory is not relished in England,
where everybody is ready to take Of
! Tense whether it is intended or not
In one Grafton he talked cheerfully
about the neat way his keen-eye
burghers had shot English1nen when
the foreigners invaded the Transvaal,
and the fact that his assertion per-
fectly accords with the facts does not
sweeten it for British palates. In an
other speech the old man paid ponder
Gus compliments to Queen Victoria, or
at any rate the world has been given
to understand that they are meant to
be compliments. Among other remarks,
he declared that the queen was ''een
kWaje vrOuw" and a controversy is
now raging as to the meaning of this
phrase. Reuters Telegram Company,
which is the official Boer agency as
far as South African news is concern
ed, translates the remark as "a difficult
woman" The Central News, which in
South African affairs is ultra British,
,, cables from Cape Town that Mr.. Kru-
, gers words were meant to be con-
} temptuOus, and that their literal and
also coloquial meaning is IAN angry
woman OF shrew.'' The London Globe
which may be fairly regarded as the
) organ of Mr.. Rhodes, says the express
} sion is frequently used in the Trans
5 vaal with reference to bad-tempered
animals which, when annoyed, kick OF
bite. Thus, "een kwaje mannettj'' is an
expression applied to a cock ostrich
= kicker. Mr.. Kruger, it is urged, really
> intended to describe Queen Victoria as
: a vicious woman. Whatever Mr.. Kru-
= ger meant, Englishmen are bound to
!, put the worst construction on it.
4 As to his mission to the Orange Free
State, private cables indicate that he
: Will probably fail as to his main OBJ
ject, as the smaller republic has nc
t desire for high politics. One can scarce
/ ly take up an English paper now with
3 out finding in some form or another
the obviously absurd accusation that
!. President Kruger has the design tt
r provoke England to war. Certainly the
valiant old republican shows a fine
! contempt for British susceptibilitie.
and stoutly declines to accept as g
Y rule OF faith the proposition that the
, English are heaven sent race, which
, sooner or later must dominate South
. Africa. Moreover, he vehemently de.
: clines to allow England to interfere il
the domesic concerns OF his country
! but he has done absolutely nothing
! to justify the charge that he would b.
such a fool as to force a war.
1t was announced today that montl
hence the royal Irish regiment, one O
the finest corps of the British army
I will sail for South Africa, nomina1ly t.
relieve certain troops at Cape Colony
= and Natal, but it really is intended a.
: a reinforcement to a garrison which i:
| already largely in excess of normal re
r quirements. It may be added, and tn,
r announcement is made public for tn,
. first time, that the commanders Of sew
y eral British regiments now in Indis
: have been secretly warned that thei
corps may be required for active ser
vice in South Africa before the sum
mer has far advanced.
The British war office will have K
). put some 10000 troops in the street:
on June 22nd, the day when Queer
Victoria proceeds from Buckingham
: palace to ST. Pauls cathedral to offe1
| up thanks to God for enabling her t.
, beat the record in royal reigns. If tn,
original programme had been adhered
! to, 10000 men would have sufficed and
the war office could have managed
that on its head, SO to speak. Now i
is nearly off its head at the prospect o.
what is regarded as the biggest mill
tary display since the Crimean war
over forty years ago. There are no bar
rack accommodations in London foi
l. more than normal garrison, and 90.