The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-04-30
A RAGE WAR IN AFRICA
DECLARED TO BE IMMINENT IN
 ENGLISH HOUSE OF COMMONS.

in the Cape-Sir William Vernon liar
 court Protests Against the Plan-Policy
 of the Government Defended by Joseph
 Chamberlain.
 London, April 29.-Sir William Yer non Harcourt, the liberal leader, refer- ring to the 100000 pounds set apart in the budget estimates for strengthening the British garrisons in South Africa, said this sum was for a war policy in South Africa, which the opposition was determined to resist.
 Continuing. Sir William Harcourt said that the policy of the secretary Of state for the colonies, intending to pro- duce racial war, was defeated by the good sense and feeling of the people of Cape Colony, and he pointed to the adoption of the recent conciliatory mo- tion in the parliament of Cape Colony as being a condemnation of this war policy, adding that he was happy to say that the peaceful policy was sup ported by the government of Cape Col ony.
 The secretary of state for the colo nies, MT. Joseph Chamberlain, here en- tered the house, and, amid cheers, Sir William Harcourt remarked:
 Tn the presence of MT. Chamberlain I repeat that it was a defeat of an ut- terly unjustifiable attempt to excite ill., feeling.
 When we are asked to refuse re- duction of the taxes of Great Britain, in order to contribute money to pro- mote Warlike, aggressive operations in South Africa, we oppose a most deter mined resistance. The proposal to ap- ply money to unjustifiable purposes against the will of the people and gov- ernment of Cape Colony is one of the most injurious things with reference to the empire ever submitted to the house of commons"
 MT Chamberlain said he had not expected to have to reply to "perni- cious and dangerous language" He classed Sir William Harcourt's utter ances as being "unpatriotic in the high est degree, embarrassing to the gov ernment and injurious to the cause of peace"
 Continuing MT. Chamberlain asserted that Sir William Harcourt's statements to the effect that the government pol icy had been rejected by the Cape gov- ernment and people were absolutely inaccurate. The policy of the govern ment, he explained, had not changed from the first. Only circumstances had changed to some extent. The govern ments policy, MT. Chamberlain added, is to maintain it's obliga tions, not to engage in any aggressive operations, nor to attack the independnce of friendly state, but "to maintain our own rights and the rights of the na- tion."
 T had hoped" continued MT. Cham berlain, that our policy would con- tinue to be non-partisan, but that hope had disappeared in the face of Sir Will liam Harcourt's speech and I now chal- lenge him to raise the issue, (cheers and counter cheers) Are the opposi- tion prepared to take issue with us when we say that while we intend to observe our own obligations, we in- to observe our own obligations, we in- tend that obligations towards us shall also be maintained? Between us and the Transvaal is not interference in the international affairs of the Transvaal, nor an attack on the London conven- ton upon our part, but breaches of the convention upon the part of the Trans vaal and we are calling upon them in friendly terms to give us satisfaction.
 Sir William Harcourt here inter rupted MT. Chamberlain by remarking: e1r;.
 What nonsense" exclaimed MT. Chamberlain hotly. Prolonged cheer ing greeted the sharp answer of the sec- retary of the state for the colonies, who continued:
 "We ask for G200,000 when every body knows that Transvaal is suing for a million and for hundreds and hun dreds of thousands. The Transvaal has been arming to an extent absolutely unjustifiable by any ordinary policy of defence. We have not complained, but the result has been that the presnt ar maments of the Transvaal are alto- gether disproportionate to the defan- sive resources of Cape Colony and the Transvaals armaments after eXpending considerably over a million upon them, are still going on.
 Batteries of artillery and maxim guns, millions aud millions of cartridges and hundreds of thousands of rifles have been imported into the Trans vaal"
 MT. Chamberlain concluded with say ing:
 T do not believe there is a feeling to repudiate the policy of the government. On the contrary, believe the feeling of every loyal British subject at the Cape to be one of gratitude and satisfaction with her majesty's government. I un- derstand that they recognize their posi- tion as the representatives of the para mount path in Africa and are deter mined to maintain the integrity of all our rights under the constitution"
 The conclusion of Mir Chamberlain S remarks was the signal for tremen- dous outburts of cheering upon the part of the conservatives.
 Later, replying to MT. Thomas War her, liberal member for the Litchfield division of Staffordshire, Mir. Chamber lain said that the dispatch of the regi- ment of British infantry and a brigade of British artillery to Cape Colony was intended as a permanent increase of the Cape garrison.
 MT. Balfour, the first lord of the