The Portland daily press., 1897-04-30
ThE TRANSVAAL ARMING.
Sir Joseph Chamberlain Charges
Narlike Preparations.
BATTERIES OF ARTILLERY, MIL
LIONS CARTRIDGES IMPORTED.

AAPShuAtufos @AosoiuIely CnJusi1hed Dy
Any Ordinary Foley of Defence-Eng-
land Will Maintain Its Rights Saws
Colonial Secretary to House of Com
mons.
London, April s9.-In the House OF
Commons, Sir William Haroourt said
the policy of the Secretary of State for
the colonies intending TO produce O
racial war was defeated by the good sense
Of the Cape Colony, and he pointsd to
the adoption of the recent conciliatory
motion in the parliament of Cape Colony
as being a condemnation of this war
policy, adding that he was happy to say
the peaceful policy was supported by the
government of Cape Colony.
The secretary OF state for the colonies,
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain here entered
the House and amid cheers, Sir William
Karcourt remarked:
&C. In the presence of Dir. Cham berlain
l repeat that it Was defeat of an utter
ly unjustifiable attempt to excite iIl-feel-
ing. When We were asked to refuse a
reduction of the taxes of Great Britain
LII OIQ6r " CUHUElDub6 iuOu6y 10 prOIUOG6
war-like, aggressive operations in South
Africa, (Oh, oh), we opposed most
determined resistance. The proposal to
apply money to unjustitiable purposes
against the will of the people ana gov
ernment of Cape Colony Is one of the
most injurious things with reference
to the empire ever submitted to the
House of Commons.
Mr.. Chamberlain said he had not AK
fa1 ~ how 10 ri 10
and dangerous language. He olassed
Sir William Harcourt's differences as be-
ing unpatriotic in the highest degree,
EN- barrassing to the government ami in
furious to the cause of peace"
Continuing, MIR. Cham berlain asserted
that Sir William Harcourt's statements
to the effect that the governments poll
oy had been rejected by the Cape govern
ment md people were absolutely inac-
curate. The policy of the governments he
explained, lad not changed from the first
Only circumstances hau changed to
some extent. The governments policy,
Mr. Chamberlain added, is to maintain
its obligations. not to engage in any ag-
9Tessive operations, nor to attack the in
dependence of q friendly state. but ito
maintain our rights and the rights of
the nation
IL had honed,'' continued Mr.. Cham.
poAiniiiy uAinh Jul ftOAtSy Wbh4t OOu VII u6
to be non-partissn, hut that hope had
disappeared in the face of Sir William
Harcourt's speech, and I now challenge
him to raise the issue. (Cheers and
counter cheers. Are the opposition
prepared to taka issue with US when we
say that while we intend to observe our
own obligations we intend that obliga-
lions towards us shall be maintained9 ?
The question between US and the TRANS
vaal is not interference in the internal
affairs of the TransvaDl nor an attack
on the London convention upon our part
but breaches of the convention upon the
part of the Transvaal and we are calling
upon them in friendly terms to give us
satisfaction.
Sir William Haorourt here interrupted
Mr.. Chamberlain by remarking: "You
are asking for 200, 600 pounds.
"Mhat nonsense" exclaimed Mr..
Cham berlain hotly. "We ask for 200, 900
pounds when every body knows that
Trausvaal is asking fora million ard
for hundreds and hundreds of thousands.
The Transvaal has been arming to an
extent that absolutely nnjustifiable by
any ordinary policy of defense We
have not complained, but the result has
been that the present armanents of the
to the defensive resources of Cape Colony,
and the Transyaal's arm6ments after
expending considerably over million
upon them, are still going on. Batteries
of artillery and Maxim guns. millions and
millions OF cartridges and hundreds of
thousands of rifles have besn imported
into the Transvanl
- Mr.. Cham berlain concluded with say
ing: 'tI do not believe there is feeling
to repudiate the policy of the govern
ment. On the contrary l believe tie feel
ing of every loyal British subject at the
Capo to be one of gratitude and salts
faction with Her Mnjesty' S government.
understood that they recognized their
position as the represen tatiyes of the par
amount power in South Africa and are
determined in the often used words to
under the convention
* Later, replying to Mr.. Thomas Warn
er, Liberal member for the Lichfleld
division OF Staffordshire, Mr.. Chamber
lain said that the despatch of regiment
of British infantry and a brigade of Brit
ish artillery to Cape Colony was intend
ed ns aspermanent increase of the Cape
garrison.
Mr.. Balfour, the first lord of the
treasury. and the government leader in
the House, also deprecated Sir William
HarcouIts' language and protested that
the policy of the government was not
proative.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, reply
ing to Mr.. Balfour, expressed his salts
faction at the statement just made by
the first lord of the treasury, but said
no one could doubt the existence at the
Cape of a very wide spread expression
that war is imminent. Nor, be added,
can any one wonder that the Boers are
prming after the Jameson attempt.
In conclusion he expressed the hope that
Great Britain did not and would not
entertain such suicidal and ,lisgraceful
policy as the incitsment of q race war
in Africa.
TransvaaI will Reply.
Preoria. April 29.-The Transvaal gov.
eminent is busy drafting full replies
to the recent dispatches of MIR. Chamber
lain, the British secretary of state for the
colonies, and it is understood that these
will raise several sharp issues.
Reading Road Reduces Wages.
Winsted, Conn, April 90. ALI the
conductors. engineers, brakmen and
switchmen on the Philadelphia g. Read
ing & New England railroad we're noti-
fed today Of ten per cent reduction.
Already many OF the engineers and