Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-10
DIPLOMACY IS STILL A MEANS.
Three Courses Are Considered ms Yet
Omen to the Hoer nepublIc.


PRETORIA, Sept. 9.-The News today
prints an official statement from f. w.
ReitZ, secretary of state Of the South
African republic, in which Mr.. Reitz says:
THE government considers that three
courses are disclosed by the communications
of Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, the British Sec
rotary of state for the colonies. The first
is a Joint commission of inquiry; the second
Is a commission OF delegates from both gov
ernments to discuss technicalities, and the
third is a conference at Capetown."
Secretary Reitz adds that the Transvaal
government now agrees to the second prop
osition and invites Great Britain to define
the constitution OF the commission sug-
gested and the place Of meeting.
LONDON, Sept. 9.-The Northumberland
Fusileers will embark next Saturday for
Cape Colony, leaving from southampton.
The First Royal Sussex regiment has been
ordered to be ready to embark within three
days. An infantry brigade, with a division
of artillery from Aldershot witt eighteen
guns, has been ordered to leave for the
Cape in ten days. This movement Of troops
is said to be merely In line with the decision
of the cabinet council to send $1,000 soldiers
to South Africa.
The cabinet has decided to send IL. 900
troops to South Africa in addition to the
Natal force. already 5000 men, of which re-
Inducements 5000 men will be sent from
India and 900 from England, a battalion Of
the Northumberland regiment. which will
sail Immediately ships are ready, and the
remainder from the Mediterranean stations.
The Pail Mall Gazette today prints mail
advices from Johannesburg under date of
August 10, saying:
Johannesburg Is rapidly becoming a city
Of terror. AS the sun rises the people wake
and ask: Has it come? Is there war;
AS the day drags through all the time one
is listening to the anxious questions:
viii the fort really fire on us? Is it
possible the Beers will slaughter us in cold
blood II a war breaks out? Will they stop
our food supply? How long will it take the
British to fight their way up?' etc.
A darkness falls the men go to the
places OF resort to discuss the grim topic Of
shells and death, and the women go to their
beds to dream of bloodshed and ruin. The
war talk started the work, the hurried arm
ing of the Beers brought II toward compile
ton and the firing of a Boer volley at a
Natal-Johannesburg train has put on the
coping-stone."
The correspondent adds that the Beers
have been putting off hostilities until the
middle of September, when the overlooking
OF the rivers will prevent military opera
lions. He concludes by saying that the hot,
sickly weather coming after will prove more
fatal than the Mausers.
MALTA, Sept. 9.-The First battalion OF
the border regiment stationed here has been
ordered to hold itself in readiness to en-
bark for Cape Colony.
PLYMOUTH, Eng, Sept. AT the clos
Ing session today of the trades union con-
gress, which has been in convention here,
a resolution was passed urging the govern
ment to use every possible effort to peace
fully settle the Transvaal difficulty.
LOURENZO, Marques, Delego Bay, Sept.
9.-The French steamer Santa Fee, which
sailed from Havre July %, for Madagascar,
via Dakar, August 10, has arrived here
with siXty-three cases of ammunition for
the Transvaal government.