Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-13
THE TRANSvAAL
ROW EXPLAINED,

TAlbert Shaw in Review of Reviews.l
The South African situation became
grave in the middle of September. Mr..
Chamberlain. at the British colonial Of
flee. in conjunction with Sir Alfred Mil
ner, British commissioner at Cape
Town, had succeeded-by virtue of sue
cessive demands which constantly APP
preached more nearly the nature of an
ultimatum-in putting President kru-
ger and the Beers in such a position
that compliance with British views
would mean the sacrifice of every YES
tige of essential sovereignty belonging
to the Transvaal as an independent re-
public. The simple truth is that 1T has
become growingly inconvenient for va
rious interests, chiefly commercial and
speculative, to have the narrow and
conservative Boer government in con-
troll of a country that contains the rich
est gold mines In the world. The only
pretense of a British grievance that is
seriously enough advanced to be really
worth the square inch of paper upon
which 1t can be stated is to be found
in objections against the terms upon
which the Transvaal government
grants naturalization to foreigners.
This is matter that concerns the
British government neither more nor
less than the naturalization laws of the
republic of Mexico concern the govern
ment at Washington. 1t is one of those
questions of strictly internal policy
that pertain unquestionably to the sole
discretion of the Transvaal govern
ment. 1t does not in the least follow
that one must consider the govern
ment OF President Kruger either wise,
liberal or prudent. In antagonizing
the great crowd of outside mining pop
ula ton that has fiocked to Johannes
burg and that vicinity, the Boer repub-
lie has set itself against fate. But 1T
must be remembered that 1t is not long
since those very newcomers, called
|"Uitlanders." engaged in a dastardly
lplot--without shadow of serious prov
ocation, and solely because melted by
outside financial and political interests
seeking control of the gold district-to
destroy the Transvaal government by
an uprising in concert With the British
| invasion led by Jameson. The Beers
defeated that plot; and the British gov
eminent, while pretending TO invests
gate, actually whitewashed the princi-
lpal perpetrators The present move
ment, which seems to be leading peri
llously close to an ugly and devastating
war, is to be attributed to precisely the
same influences that perpetrated the
Jameson raid. Mr.. Chamberlain has
j been simply determined to force a
quarrel upon Kruger While the nego-
! tiat have been pending the British
government has been massing troops
and munitions of war in South Africa.
! The basis of the negotiation with
Kruger, meanwhile, has been ingen-
iously shifted. so that as the British
4 preparations for war have grown more
complete the acceptance of the Beers
of the so-called British terms would
mean an ever increasing measure of
submission and humiliation on the part
of the Transvaal.
THE QUESTION Fs'SUZERAINTY.' :
4 AT first the British demands. though
Iobviously trumped up and without a
sound basis either in morals or in law
did not directly involve the question OF
the independence of the Transvaal. The
situation was merely that of the
Istrongest empire in the world bringing
a domineering pressure to bear upon a
certain domestic policies. But Mr.
chamberlain had managed by the be-
Ginning of September to get the dispute
shifted around to the acknowledgment,
lon the part of the Transvaal of British
4 .'suzerainty." If the Transvaal should
sInow decide to concede to the British de-
imands respecting the franchise and
lother points OF internal policy. such
IA,
4 sive presidents. In such case tbs
4 idly advance to the point where fol
all practical purposes. the Transvaa
i would be regarded as annexed 10 the
British empire The independence of tn
4 Transvaal republic was recognized frs
by Great Britain in 1852 The Boer
who went to the wilderness beyond tn,
Naal TO form that self-governing com
munity had left Natal few years pre-
vious when the British had taken ant
ANNEXED Natal. These same Beers ha,
left Cape Colony for Natal to get ava.
from British rule between the years o
1888 and 1887. In 1876 the British as
sisted the Beers of the Transvaal in
5 contest with the natives, and this wa
/ followed in the spring of 1887 by tn
annexation OF the 1rdnSNadl 10 IN
!. British empire.
NO PART OF BRITISH EMPIRE
But the arrangement was not salts
factory to the Beers, who took up arm
against it in December. 1880. and Tough
: so vigorously that after the defeat o
z the British at Majuba Hill peac
treaty was signed in March 1881, whc
made the Transyaal an Independent
/ country again as concerned its interna
: affairs. but made Great Britain it
representative in external matters.
1884 another treaty was signed wit
r England. under which the dependence
of the South African republic upo
. Great Britain was much diminshe,
: and became limited TO a certain rigf
on the part of the British governmer
: to be consulted in the foreign dealing
0 and relations OF the Transvaal. Th
S questions now in dispute have nothin
o to do with such foreign relations, an
e Mr.. Chamberlain has no more RICH
a under the treaty and under information
, al law, to concern himself in the elet
:, tive franchise in the Transyaal tina
President Kruger has to discuss II
= question of woman suffrage in Ems
n land. The Chamberlain policy is NJ
without its prominent critics in Ent
land. Foremost among these is NJ
. JrI.~ ,t,I fE-c a