The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-10

you want is to meet Dom Paul through |
Irish influence You're straight Ameri- |
cans, which is something unusual to
see down here. l like you, and if you
came to my store in two days I'll have |
the way prepared
McCann's preparation consisted in
writing TO the boss" who undertook
the mission, apparently with the i'm
preston that in some way it was all
for the good of ''old Ireland The tailor
gave us our credentials and bid us
goodbye with the parting injunction:
For heavens sake, don't refuse coffee,
should the president offer it, even if it
scalds you speeches."
Boss Gillingham is the busiest man
in the Transvaal. We had been in Pre-
toria two days before we found him at
home. In company with numerous spec
ulators and foreign agents we haunted
the sign of "P. Gillingham, Baker" I'M
derneath which is another legend in
smaller type, rAnd Justice of the
Peace
One of the men was from Dayton. o.,
and sought Gillingham's influence to
sell Dom Paul a phaeton. Another rep
resented an American marble firm, and
he wanted to build a mausOleum for the
president and his family. Some of them
had already seen and talked with this
influential sfiXer'' and testified that he
was no myth, as we had concluded af-
ter being told continually that he was
mot at home,'' or had meeting to at
tend" Eventually we were ushered
through the bakery into a small sitting
room where the presidents right
bower receives all his callers, and met
a man with keen blue eyes, light hair,
mustache and chin beard, of well-set
figure, square shoulders, and speaking
good, pure English. He greeted US
" v~irr Il hrfef
ness.
I've told his honor about you" he
said, land he is anxious to meet you.
If you will come to my house at 6
o'clock tomorrow morning I'll take you
down and you can talk to him as long
as ne desires. He's in a good humor
now, and will talk if you know your
business
| Gillingham was not disposed to speak
of himself, and evaded all questions
bearing on politics, but told US with no
/ little pride that he was but SO years
old. He was born at the cape, of Irish
! parents, and there absorbed the GUS
toms of the Dutch so thoroughly that
he is regarded in Pretoria as a staunch
burgher and good Dutchman.
! Though born under the English flag
| he has no love for it, and that is the
secret of his popularity with President
/
old hunter and politician, has points of
weakness bordering on faulty. Gilling-
ham made his first coup with Kruger
at the time oe the Jamison raid. when
England threatened to wipe out the
little republic. With the hosts of Eng
| land arrayed against the Transvaal,
and no friends, this plucky Irishman
| got together some of his countrymen
| and offered to raise regiment to fight
Tor it against the British. Further
more, he communicated with Irishmen
| in America and proposed that they
arm and equip forces to send down to
aid the Beers. Dom Paul, who is just
as generous as he is vindictive, was
quite overcome by this offer, and he
has ever since kept a warm spot in his
heart for the Irish
More than this, however, Gillingham
has a long head, knows when to adj
wise, when to keep quiet, and is so
genial and adaptable that he is always
''in the know" This is appreciated by
Dom Paul, to whom the Irishman is
loyal, for such is the political strife in
the Transvaal, that Kruger is often at
loss to know whom to trust
Gflltngham has no other position than
justice Of the peace, seeks for no pub
lie honors, is never written about, and
Il poses as q. strictly neutral person. In
this capacity Kruger accepts his adj
vice on the most important national
and international questions, and the
only way he profits is by concessions.
Concessions are granted for the most
absurd purposes. One man has the eX-
elusive right to make jam in the
Transvaal The dynamite concession
aries give the government five shil-
lings. Such q, high duty Isl put upon
the American article. which is vastly
superior in quality, as to practically
exclude it. The unsubsidized press is
very bitter against Mr.. Kruger on ac-
} count of this concession business and
goes so far as to ask how the presi-
dent could amass a fortune of more
than million on a salary of $1,000
and how his son-in-law, Eloff. could
build a $250,000 palace on a salary.
: Gillibham is in the front rank Of
concessionaries and it was one of these
concessions that kept him engaged
while we were there.
Among the questions put to Mr.. Kru-
ger in our interview was the follow.
ing:
"Are you not afraid that. without {
seaport, the English will starve yor
! out?"
IF God wills it," he replied, ''the1
can do it. II not. the English Nigh
: build a wall around US high as Jericho
and we would live comfortably" A
, this he looked to the willy Irishma1
as though for assent. and Gillighan
: informed US later that Mr. Kruger wa.
greatly delighted at his proposition tt
5 erect huge cold storage warehouses
wherein $4,000 beeves could be stored
l a safeguard against being starved on
2 in case of war with the English H
: had Just been granted the concession
l to build the houses
The first question asked us by Presi
j, dent Kruger. when we finally reached
r him, was, Are you from Rhodes? ?" H
E looked at US rather sharply from tn
1 slit of one eye, embedded in Duff
, flesh, scanned with wrinkles, and W
/ FASTENED to reply in the negative
n They're both good Irishmen." adde
Gilligham, and the half-dozen mem
e bers of the road, Paymaster Genera
: Van Alpen, Commissioner of Mine
e Kroebler and Commissioner of Wa
s Smidt, all of whom came along to hea
: the interview, laughed heartily.
n Whats your religion?" was the mex
: question, and this put us for a momen
q in trance from which we were extri
t Gated again by the Irishman's wit 9TH
e Reformed church is very strong in Ney
a York" he observed carelessly as q cue
We remembered then that the preSi
e dent is a most bigoted Dutch Reformel
r and explained to him that while GU
<. American newspaper mans religion
It views must necessarily be very elastic
h we were at the present moment staunc
Dutch Reformers.
n At this Dom Paul pulled fast,-smile
: wide and eventually chuckled. where
: upon we took occasion, at Gillingham
n suggestion, to ply him with a wolfe
g of questions. AT the end of the il
terview we hardly knew which interes
/, ed us most, the shrewd old Boer or tt
" clever young Irishman, who seemed
l. understand each other thoroughly.
s Dillingham; lives in more simolicit
even than Mr.. Kruger, who dimes wit
It his coachman. His two sons, JOSEF
N and Parnell, attend the town schoC
C,illir, oh IN i11tarndS oci1-ir