The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-27
BEFORE THE PARLIAMENTARY
COMMITTEE.
RHODES WAS NOT TO BLAME.
JAMESON TOOK THE DECISIVE STEP
WITHOUT ORDERS FROM HIS
CHIEF.
In the Event of Success Forgiveness
Would Not Have Been Hard to
Obtain.

LONDON, March 26.--At the session
today Of the parliamentary committee
inquiring into the Transvaal raid, the
secretary of state for the colonies, Jo-
seph Chamberlain, continued his exam
ination Of w. P. Schreiner, who was at
torney general of Cape Colony at the
time Cecil Rhodes was premier. All
the questions put indicated a desire to
vindicate Mr. Chamberlain policy IN
the Transvaal
Following Mr.. Schreiner, DR. Jane
son, leader of the British military
forces, told the story Of his movement
He sought to justify his actions by
pointing out the critical condition of
the Uitlanders in the Transvaal prior
to the raid. DR.. Jameson exculpated
Rhodes from the responsibility of hav-
ing ordered the final move of the
troops across the border, saying he had
managed the step on his own account
Jameson's statement continued: In
the middle Of 1894 Mr.. Rhodes and John
Hays Hammond Che American engi-
neer) were with me in Matabeleland,
when the position of the Transvaal and
the grievances of the Uitlanders were
freely discussed. Mr.. Hammond assert
ed that it was impossible for the econy-
mic conditions of the land to continue.
and that unless a radical change was
made there would be a rising of the
people Of johannesburg.
Il was much impressed with Mr..
Hammond's representations, and after
wards, in company with Mr.. Hammond
l went to Johannesburg and Pretoria
and verified the accuracy of his views.
The result Of these Investigations was
that the Chartered company's police
and volunteers We're prepared so that
if revolt occurred and help was need
ed we should be in a position to send
it.
subsequently, in 1895, 1 revisited Jo-
hannesburg and found the people de-
termlned to bring matters to an is
sue. In the course of protracted con-
ference, the leaders informed me re
garding their wishes and plans. The
first proposal was to act alone but nv
troops were to be in readiness on the
border in case they were required
Later, the leaders concluded that there
was no hope of success without the
help of an armed force, and they de-
clded that the only way to obtain re-
forms was to change the administra-
ton Of the Transvaal, and that the
safest mode of effecting this would
be to have a sufficient force at johann
nesburg to induce President Krueger
TO take plebiScite of the whole popu-
lation, to decide who was to be presi-
dent. They therefore invited nv helm
and it was arranged TO take my force
to Johannesburg to maintain order
and bring pressure to bear upon the
Transvaal, while the redress of the
grievances were enforced by the peo-
pie.
Z therefore obtained the letter
signed by the four leaders, with which
the committee is familiar, and it was
agreed that simultaneously with the
rising in Johannesburg at the end Of
December. I was to start"
DR.. Jameson, it appears, afterwards
told Mr.. Rhodes Of these arrangements
and the latter agreed to them The
statement then deals with the prepa-
ratiOns TO force the frontier arousing
the suspicious Of the Beers, and the
communications between Dr. Jameson
and the leaders at Johannesburg, the
latter never intimating any intention
of abandoning their determination TO
appeal to arms.
The statement next referred to the re
port Oh tne grave SITUATION In the
mines, and Jameson added: Under
my arrangements with the Johannes
burgers, l felt 1 had no alternative
but to proceed, and I started the same
day"
The statement concluded: mo COM
munication whatever was received
from Mr.. Rhodes or from any one at
Cape Town directing or authorizing
my force to move to johannesburg.
acted entirely upon my own judgment
Maj. Heany did not bring me a mes
sage from Rhodes
The committee put a few questions
to DR.. Jameson. Replying to Sir Henry
Campbell Bennerman LiberaD, DR.
jameson said he knew he had not
done the right thing, because he had
not succeeded, adding that, if he hal
succeeded, he knew he would have
been forgiven. Iaughter)