The times., 1899-10-11
The Rncrs NJ Rnr.

The last word in The AngiO-BOer quar-
rel appears 10 have been said. The
Boer ultimatum has been handed TO
the British Government and made public
by the Colonial Office in London All hope
Of an accommodation is ended: the ulti-
matum means war within the next twenty
four hours.
4 more defiant challenge to England
could nor well have been formulated The
Pretoria Government declares that the
military preparations OF the Empire have
caused an intole-abie condition Of things
throughout South Africa. Therefore. il Is
necessary to press Her Ma5esty's Govern
Inent to give assurances that all matters
in dispute shall BE- settled by arbitration;
that the recent British -enfo-cements
landed in South Africa shall be re-em-
barked within a reasonable time: that the
re-enforoements now on the way to South
Africa shall not be landed. and that the
British troops now on the borders of the
Transvaal Republic shall be instantly with
drawn The note informs the British Gov
ernment ira; an answer viii be eKpected
not later than O'Clock D. N. today, and
adds that in the unexpected event that
no satisfactory answer is received IN the
interval the Boer Government viii be COM
PEELED. with great regret, to regard the
action Of Her Majesty's Government as a
formal declaration Of war and viii not
hold itself responsible for the consequences
thereof" Finally. in The event OF any
further movements CT troops within the
above time in nearer direction to our
borders this Government VIII be COM
PEELED 10 regard that as q formal declara-
tion OF war"
The reasonable presumption is that Eng
land win not take any notice Of the ulti-
nstum and allow the state OF war to OBJ
tain under its terms. on the Boer initiative,
by promptly .re-eHforcing the columns AZ
Dundee and Glencoe and preparing 10 con-
test the passage of Laing's Mex, which we
presume VIII be the first position 10 be at
tackled by General Joubert. The end had to
come a. this time and both sides knew il.
It L. reported tnat d British nltimatum
crossed that Of the Bpers, and must have
been delivered In PEetoria about the time
The other reached LolEoH- However that
nay be. the South African Republle has ac-
ceBted the issue OF war and VIII have &c
abide by its consequence
Although we have more than once given
3 fuli resume OF the causes for and prog
ress OF the quarrel between The Transvaal
and Great Britain. it may be well, now
that war has practically been declared
70 again review the subject In 1881 and
again in 1854, when the British Empire
recognized the independence OF the Beers in
Their internal affairs, ii was distinctly stip-
ulated that British subjects In the Trans
vaal were 10 be accorded all the rights,
privileges, and iumunities that were. OF
should Be al any time, accorded to and en-
soyed By the native Beers. This agreement
was broken by the Pretoria Government
from the start Although the British.
American, and other foreigners resident
within the State largely outnumber tbs
Beers. own seFen-tenths in value OF the real
and personal property within its boundaries.
and pay nine-tenths CT all the taxes and
public revenues, they are and always have
been without any vestige Of political rights
whatever They cannot sit OF juries. they
cannot carry OF even ogn firearms, they
are subject 10 domiciliary visit and search
al the within OF any Boer policeman Gay OF
might and although they own, populate,
and support the rich city OF johannesburg.
nearly 10 the exclusion OF all other eIe-
ments. they have not one word TO say in
lis government or in the assessment. colIec-
tiou or expenditure OF its taxes in public
Improvements or otherwise. Moreover.
they have been regularly robbed, through
private monopolies in the hands Of Kruger
and his Immediate family and friends. un-
III their situation long ago became intol-
cradle Out of the dynamite. salt, and one
or TWO other monopoliez the Boer President
personally has amzssed fortune estimated
az twenty-five million dollars within a few
years, all at The eost OF the outlanders.
The courts OF the republic" are a hideous
farce. They are at the beck and call OF the
Volksraad. which can alter. and frequently
has altered not only the laws but the consti-
tuition. by Q mere majority Yote. al a single
sitting. In 1887 Kruger. By executive order
suppressed the supreme court Of the State.
because il refused at his demand 10 con
fscate the mining property Of an American
citizen On silly. trumped-up charge. that
he anc two or three OF his associates might
steal H.
In view Of all these brutal and un-
civilized conditions. the Outianders OF the
Witsstersrsna district. including -four