The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-27
Cecil Rhodes Knew About the Prep
son to Cross the Border
CREMER CRITICISES MORGAN
BRITISH VI. II. FINDS FAULT WITH
THE ALABAMA SENATOR,
And Accuses Him OF Changing His At
titUde Toward the Arbitration
Treaty-British Spies.

LONDON. March 26.-At the session to-
day of the parliamentary committee in
curing into the Transvaal raid. ETC., the
secretary of state for the colonies, Mr.. Jo-
seph Chamberlain, continued his eXamina-
ton of Mr.. w. p. ~Schreiner, who was at
torney general of Cape Colony at the time
Mr.. Cecil Rhodes was premier. All the
questions put indicated a desire to vindi
cate Mr.. Chamberlain policy in the Trans
vaal. Following Mr.. Schreiner DIR. Jane
son. leader Of the British military forces,
told the story OF his movements, which has
frequently been rehearsed in print. He
sought TO Justify his actions by pointing
out the critical condition of the Uitlanders
in the Transvaal prior TO the raid. DIR.
Jameson eXculpated Rhodes from the re-
sponsibility of having ordered the final
move of the troops across the border, say
ing he had taken this step of his owr ac-
cord.
Continuing his statement. DIR. Jameson
said: In the middle of 1894 Mr.. Rhodes
and Mr.. Hays Hammond. the American en-
gineer. were with me in Matabeleland when
the position Of the Transvaal and the
grievances of the uitlanders were freely
discussed. Mr.. Hammond asserted that it
was impossible for the economic conditions
of the Rand to continue, and that unless
a radical change was made there would be
a rising of the people of Johannesburg. /
was much impressed with Mr.. Hammond's
representations, and afterwards, in COM
pany with Mr.. Hammond, / went TO Jo-
h~annesburg and Pretoria and verified the
accuracy of his views. The result of these
Investigations was that the chartered COM
pany's police and volunteers were prepared
so that if a revolt occurred and help was
needed we should be in a position TO send it.
subsequently, in 1895. L revisited johann
nesburg and found the people determined
to bring matters to an issue. In the course
of a protracted conference. the leaders in
formed me regarding their wishes and
plans. The first proposal was to act alone,
but my troops were to be in readiness on
the border in case they were required
Later the leaders concluded hat there was
no hope of success without the help of an
armed force. and they decided that the only
way TO obtain reforms was 10 change the
administration of the Transvaal, and that
the safest mode of effecting this would be
to have a sufficient force at johannesburg
to induce President Kruger to take a Pile
biscite of the whole population to decide
who was TO be President. They therefore
invited my help. and il was arranged to
take my force to johannesburg 10 main
tain order and bring pressure To bear on
the Transvaal while the redress of the
grievance was enforced by the people. I
therefore obtained the letter signed by the
four leaders. with which the committee is
familiar, and ii was agreed that stimuli
taneously with the rising in Johannesburg
at the end of December l was TO start"
DIR. jameson, II appears, afterwards told
Mr.. Rhodes of these arrangements, and the
latter agreed to them. The statement then
deals with the preparations TO force the
frontier. arousing the suspicious of the
Beers. and the communications between
DR.. Jameson and the leaders at Johannes
burg, the latter never intimating any inten-
ton of abandoning their determination to
appeal to arms. The statement next re-
fers to the report Of the grave situation in
the mines and adds: Under my arrange
ments with the Johannesburgers L felt I
had no alternative but TO proceed, and
started the same day"
The statement concludes: mo m
cation whatever was received from Mr..
Rhodes or from any one at Cape Town d.
recting or authorizing my force to move to
Johannesburg. / acted entirely on my own
judgment. Major Heaney did not bring me
a message from Rhodes"
The committee put a few questions TO DIR.
Jameson. Replying to Sir Henry Campbell
Bannerman. Liberal. DR.. Jameson said he
knew he had not done the right thing. be-
cause he had not succeeded, and adding
that if he had succeeded he knew he would
have been forgiven. ~(Laughter) The COM
mittee then adjourned.