The times., 1899-07-06

pafgn speeches Was proclaiming the ae-
ton OF the Conservative Goyernmcn. in
south Africa 'an invasion of a iiee Eu-
ropean, Christian. and republican com
munity. but when the Liberals came irto
once the Cabinet decided that "the SOW
ereigDty OF the Queen over the T-ensvaal
could not be relinquished." sir Bartle
frere was succeeded by Sir George Colley
as High Commissioner. and in December.
1881. the Beers rose in armed rebellion
and Killed or wounded l57 British SOL
dlers- The outbreak was brought on by
wiilIui misrepresentation OF British policy
by the chief agitators, who were aided
with money from the Fenians Rut the
grievance which gave vital force TO the
revolt was the failure to grant self-Eov-
ernment TO the Transvaal as promised by
Sir Theophilus Shepstone.
Following their first victory the D0srs
proclaimed the independence OF the eoun
try. The small force OF British troops
was defeated In several disastrous en-
gagements. notably that Of Majuba lIill.
Instead OF sending large force and guclI-
ing the uprising, as is the almost uni
versal custom OF the English, the home
Government yielded to the armed and vic
torious rebels. The Transvaa! was re-
stored intact to the Beers. who received
complete self-government, subject to The
suzerainty of Her Majesty
WAS 5lEueu pretoria
in August. 1881. No appeastment of the
animosities between the Dutch and the
English inhabitants of the Transvaal fol-
lowed the conclusion of this convention
Inc boers never respected its terms, but
continued to importune the British Gov
ernment for an ampler measure of indie
pendence.
Lord Kimberley, who occupied the
Colonial oiiice when the convention of 1881
was signed. was followed by Lord Derby.
The latter listened with favor to the arro-
CANT and overbearing demands of Presi-
dent Kruger. and in 1889 the convention
which forms the present basis of the rela-
tons between Great Britain and the
Transvaal was signed. BY its terms the
latter was permitted to call itself the
South African Republic while the control
of its foreign policy was reduced to the
provision that the Republic could con-
ciude no treaty with any State or nation.
other than the Orange Free State, with
out the consent of the Queen. 1t is main
tanned that as Great Britain retains the
power of vetoing foreign treaties she still
exercises suzerainty over the South African
Republic.
These further concessions were granted
in the vain hope that amity would be re-
stored thereby between the two white
races in South Africa. But this act of
abnegation appeared to the English resi-
dents to set up a rival ruling power in the
British sphere. The Beers had unwillingly
agreed to confne the Transvaal within
fixed limits, but to hold them to that
promise has been no easy matter and the
British Government has been Obliged to
interfere by force of arms to protect Brit
ish rights and prevent the Beers from an
nexlng all the neighboring native States.
Ever since 1884 the Transvaal Govern
ment has been trying to accomplish two
things-first, to shut of the Cape from the
ncrth and to acquire seaport OF its own,
and. second. to retain all power in the
hands OF the Beers and to deny the fran
chise to all settlers within her borders.
By the foresight and sagacity OF such men
as Cecil Rhodes. Sir Hercules Robinson
and others the Beers have been in the
main defeated in the first of these OBJ
jects, although they have thus far sue
ceeded in the second. James Bryce in his
GUS encroachments of the Beers and how
they have generally been defeated in them.
Boer adventurers entered Zululand and
established sort of republic in the north
ern districts and would have seized the
whole had not the British Government in
terfered and limited them to a territory
of nearly 1900 square miles. This was
at first recognized under the name of the
New Republic in 1886, and two years later
was merged in the TransYaal. Other bands
OF Boer raiders entered Bechuanaland 10
the west, seizing or obtaining grants of
lands and setting up two petty republics,
one called Stellaland, around the village
of Vyrburg north Of Kimberley. and the
other farther north. called Gashen- This
was obviously plan to add Bachuanaland
to the Transvaal and to cut OF the path
of the British northward to their other in
terests. The British Government made
short work of these attempts, driving out
the Beers and setting up in the territory
occupied a Crown colony.
To prevent aggressons farther north a
British protectorate was proclaimed in
March, 1885. over the whole country as
far as the borders of Matabeleland. In
Swaziland the Beers played the same
grab game" although the independence
OF the Swazis was fully recognized by the
convention of 1884. Here the British Gov
eminent did not intervene early enough,
and finally, in 1894 that district came under
the control of the South African Republic.
But at this time the British Government
annexed the strip of land between Swazi-
land and the sea right up to the Portu-
guese frontier, thus preventing the Beers
from obtaining seaport. This stroke is
Dg VT DIyIt do Oht VI Nht must
important in recent South African his
tory" for by it President Kruger can be
more easily prevented from establishing
political ties with other European powers.
But the chief cause of discord through
out South Africa is the treatment of the
Outlanders (non-Boer settlers) in the
Transvaal. BY the law Of 1882 any male
could obtain the rights of citizenship after
a residence of five years. There was then
fair number of Englishmen resident in
the Transvaal. especially in the Lydenburg
mining district. But with the gold discov-
cries of 1884 and 1886 came a rush of
English immigrants, and by the end of
1888 johannesburg was large and -four
ishing city. By 1894 the Boer population
of the Transvaal and the Orange Free
State was estimated at 70,S61 and the Out
landers at 1900. including g.. 500 British
subjects. But the registered voters num-
bered only 1926. Many of these Outland-
ers have been in the country since 1887,
and yet in 1894 not one Of them had voice
in the government, although its treasury.
formerly bankrupt, had been replenished
as a result of their industry.
This denial of the franchise had been
brought about by the act of 1887, by which
the Volksraad raised the period of resi-
dence necessary to obtain vote for Presi-
dent and members of the Volksraad to
fifteen years. and by subsequent amend
ment by which no alien could attain full
burgher rights. II is true that in 1890
second Raad was created. membership
in which might be attained after four
years residence. but this has proved q
sham, as all its acts may be tand are)
! overruled by the first Volksraad. Other
grievances are the dynamite monopoly and
various restrictions to trade.
Reforms were agitated by the British
subjects. but the petitions of the Trans
vaal National Union 10 the Raad We're re-
jected with jeers and insults; the Brit
ish Colonial Office tried again and again