The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-11-11
THE ANGLO-BOER WAR
tCpntinued From FIRST Pase.l

Continued From First Page
same privileges. wIsie N the NTH a Boe;.
minority has all the power, and the large.
British element none of It, -
s The outbreak of the war was preceded
by long and tiresome negotiations. They
were provoked by the presentation to
the British government of petition
signed by 21,6S4 Outlanders, praying for
redress Of grievances and a. restoration
Of the political rights guaranteed to them
under the conventions Of 1881 and 1884
This was presented on March %, and was
I shortly afterWard indorsed by Sir Alfred
Miner, British governor of Cape Colony.
On May IL a conference was. held at
iBloemfOntein between Sir Alfred Milne:.
and Mr.. Kruger. The British representa-
tive proposed a five years (retrospec-
5tive) franchise, natul alization oath SIM
liar to that Of the Orange Free State, full
right to- vote upon naturalization and a
fair representation of the new voters in
the volksraad. In declining this proposal
President Kruger offered seven years
franchise, not fully retrospective, under
which every man would have to abandon
his old c. -izenship and not gain new one
for several years. Even at the end of
that period his Transvaal citizenship
would be only partial, and would bs
granted not as a matter of right; but on
sufferance, at the will of BOer officials.
Vs D.. } #
, President Kruger returned to Pretoria
and secured the enactment Of law on
tho basis Of his proposals. The British
government pronounced it unsatisfactory
and on July - the Transvaal adopted
another law, granting the seven-year (re-
,trospective) franchise, but again made it.
application depend upon the pleasure OF
Roer5 officials, and not upon right. Oh.
scure and unsatisfactory as this propose:
was the British government was inclined
to accept 1t, and on July 81 proposed an
other conference to examine it. Il Not :un til
Aug. 10 did the Transvaal government
reply, meanwhile collecting, ammunition
and making military preparations. II
then practically declined the British Offer
and substituted therefor a five years
retrospective franchise and increased rep.
resentation. provided Great Britain woule
pledge itself never again to- intervene in
Transvaal affairs, no longer to insist upc:'
the assertion of~suzerainty and to con-
cede arbitration, from which government"
other than that of the Orange Free Stact
should be excluded. On Aug. % the Brit.
ish government replied that while
hoped no further intervention: would &c
necessary. yetsit could not pledge 1tseI
not to protect it's subjects in the Trans
wall that it still maintained suzerainty:.
and thtat it would consider the scheme Of
arbitration proposed, but that some ma <
tiers fell outside the domain of arbitra-
ton and required" prompt settlement Il
renewed it's proposal for conference. II
replying on Sept. 2 the Transvaal Offered
conditionally to enter a. conference, bu
withdrew the whole franchise offer ane
insisted upon absolute abrogaion OF Brit
ish suzerainty and the erection OF the
Transvaal into "a sovereign international.
state" & f.sG Ea>.s 3& =; y!
To these demands Great Britain replied
on Sept. 13, practically renewing the
TransvaaTs own proposal of Aug. - OF
a five years franchise and Increased rep
resentation, with non-foreign .arbitration,
but leaving the sovereignty question as
before and suggesting that the Outland-
ers in the Transvaal legislature should be
permitted to speak English. 10 this the
Transvaal replied on Sept. 49, accusing
the British government of bad faith, Win
drawing all former offers and guardedly
agreeing to q conference OF Joint co1nmls-
sion of Inquiry Since that time the Brit
ish government has denounced as false
the charges of bad faith, has Withdrawn
it's former offers and announced us lnten-
ton of submitting a new plan OF seelllhs
the controversy. -j.z,i.ft - y =,
Before this plan was announced inc
Transyaal republic sent to the Brltlsh
government a peremptory ultimatum,
calling on the latter to acknowledge us
SOVEREIGNTY as an International power and
- withdraw it's troops from the Irans-
yaal border within fofty-elght hours.
When the British troops were. not Will
drawo the Beers began the war. D. -.