The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-02
EMPIRE BUILDER RHODES
WARLIKE ENGLIsHMEN WORSHIP
THE BOLD MAN OF RHODESIA.
His Astounding Success in Africa
Inordinate I'm Ambition, Fortune
Has Been Kind to Him.

Chicago Inter Ocean
Cecil Rhodes, empire builder of South AZ
RIGA, is the most talked of man in the world
to-day. Oxford gave him its highest hon.
orary degree on Wednesday, when the stu
dents cheered him to the echo Kitchener,
the hero of the Sudan, hardly received as
warm a welcome the man who made
Rhodesia, planned the Jameson raid and is
now in a life-and-death struggle with Paul
Kruger.
Cecil Rhodes is described by his admirers
as a king In his own right. They say he
was born to rule. He has known the great
est triumphs and he has suffered the bitter
ness of the severest defeats a man can
know. In the hour when his whole future
seemed ruined by the Transvaal raid he
said:
MY career is only beginning"
To-day this prediction seems verified,
Rhodes is the idol of the lingo Englishman.
He poses as the bearer of that imperial
England Of which Kipling sings. He die
tates to the Queens councillors; he intro
duces the canteen, overruns the territory Of
other peoples-but cajoles the missionaries.
He is their great and good friend" With
one hand he arms Jameson's raiders. With
the other he welcomes a bishop. But all
the time he works night and day like tire
less Titan for Rhodes, "the native born,
'the flag and ''the Queen. God bless 'er."
Twenty-Five years ago England had mere
foothold in South Africa. To-day she holds
by brute force kingdom, and that king
dom was carved by Cecil Rhodes. Wrong
as he is, wrong as England's course against
the Boer and the black. Rhodes is the colos-
sal genius Of the age in his own particular
line.
Cecil Rhodes is a man who is not afraid
to move slowly. That cropped out early in
his career. AT twenty-one he left oxford
ard went to Africa for his health. After
two or three years In the tremendous ex-
element Of diamond mining, when he held
| millions In his hand, he quietly returned to
England to complete his college education.
Did he fail to see his opportunity then? Peo-
| pie have asked Rhodes that, and he always
answers in his deliberate way, mo; but 1
was getting ready"
AS A DIAMOND DIGGER
| They were rough tribe in the fields. with
| the pick of the rascaldom of the world lit
| orally scattered among them. Illicit diamond
buying was the most Furnishing business
| and some who widely known as
milllonaires laid the foundations of their
fortunes by buying stolen diamonds from
the blacks. But the college lad was toe
smart TO let his black boys steal many OF
| his gems. Cecil Rhodes was not content
| TO watch over his negroes digging in his own
| diamond patch. He invested some of his
| first savings In old agricultural engines and
| began pumping two mines
The days were hot, and the diggers were
willing to pay literally for cooling drinks
| Traders brought up bad whisky and worse
| brandy, but Rhodes thought he knew a
| game worth two of that. He ran an ice-
| posing Of all the ice he could manufacture
| The black boys then began to look on him
as demigod. con-, Look" they whispered to
great medicine man. He can make bricks
| AT first glance Cecil Rhodes does not look
like ruler Of men. He is dull-faced
| heavy-jawed, clumsy-looking man, big,
| broad-shouldered. and burdened with over
| apathetic eyes seem to belong to lazy soul,
| whose chief interest is in food and drink.
| The siouching gait the sphinxlike vacancy
or expression are an impenetrable mask,
| cloaking the soul within.
| Such is Cecil Rhodes in repose. But to
| see the man at work IS to see another be-
ering the dull eyes waken with a lifeiike
| flash, the slouching figure becomes erect
| the air OF stagnation passes, and the on
| Of unbended will, one who can fire his fel.
| lows with a maddening enthusiasm, who dis
| plays in his every move a. vigorous, virile
At the beginning Of his career Cecil
Rhodes says he saw that the old Individual
list system OF working the diamond fields
could not last AS the soil became exhausted
| and the diggers get to the layer of solid
rock beneath claim after claim was thrown
on the market for little money. Slowly and
| quietly Rhodes began to buy UP these claims
| He believed that the rock would yield deepe.
wealth. If properly worked, than even the
WINS RoTHscHILDs.
He went to Europe and laid his plans be-
fore the Rothschilds They were captivated,
| but yet were not in too much of a hurry to
stake large sums on this ambitious young
man. They had had long enough to consider
the matter, but still wanted to delay.
Come in few days." they said. lard we
will give you our answer"
| ''Sirs," the young diamond digger replied
II will call again on you in half an hour.
| If you have not then decided what to do
shall go elsewhere"
Rhodes went back to Africa with the
| backing of the Rothschids.
About this time his connection with Bar
ney Barnato, the Kaffir king, began. Until
soath African has fSamS
ant, bejeweled, smacking of the vaudeville
| poster. Barnato was OF this type. Withal he
money. A party of rich men. headed bS
Barney Barnato, was seeking to acquire the
| control OF the diamond fields. Rhodes
friends love to tell stories of that time-of
| his Quickness in fixing on and buying hold.
| ings of Importance. of his untiring energy
OF his astuteness At last, by STARTLING
moves. he bluffed Barnato's supporters into
the conviction that he was winning At once
several of them tried to make terms with
MIN, and Barnato himself was forced to bee
TOT peace. A great company was arranged
| which now practically controls the diamond
| output OF the world, and Mr.. Rhodes was
| appointed managing director for life at 3
| salary OF $l5O,OO0 a year.
| ONCE AN ALLY OF KRUGER'S.
Rhodes was not always at daggers points
| with Dom Paul Kruger. At one time they
were prime ministers of ,neighboring Dutch
republics. living side by side in amity
Rhodes entered Cape politics. He saw tina,
he was not strong enough to fight the Cape
| Dutch. SO he tried to work with them They
elected him to power as prime minister, anG
he gave them the laws they wanted
But his heart was far away from Cape
Colony. He had seen the magnificent coun.
| try up north. oyerrun by the impis (armies)
| OF the mighty Lobengula, and he longed tC
| have II. He believed as did many more
| that this was the fabulous land Of Ophir
| whose wealth would surpass any thing the
| world had seen. Yet IObengula was strons
| with his mighty armies. and his land Sc
distant. that any power might pause before
Rhodes first sent his agents to Lobengula
| to live with him. win his confidence ant
| secure a concession from him giving then