Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-26
bR|TA|NS REPLY
Discussion Is Now
Useless.
ULTIMATUM MAY FOLLOW
The Only Delay is Due to the Fac
That There Are Not Enough Sol
diers Yet Landed In South Afri.
can Territory.

| LONDON, Sept. 26.-The officials of the
foreign office last evening gave out the
text of the letter Of the secretary of state
for the colonies, Chamberlain, to the
British high commissioner in South Afri-
ca, Sir Alfred Miner, dated September %.
The British reply expresses regret that
her majesty's offer number five, of Sep
TENDER s. had been refused and says:
The object her majesty's government
had in view in the recent negotiations
has been stated in a manner which can
not admit misrepresentation, viz, to OBJ
tain such immediate representation for
U%itlanders as will enable them to secure
for themselves that fair treatment which
was formally promised them in 1881 and
which her majesty intended to secure
Tor them hen she granted privileges Of
self-goNernment to the Transvaal. No
conditions less comprehensive than those
contained IN the telegram of Septem-
Der 3 can be relied on to effect this OBJ
ject.
The refusal Of the South African gov
ernnent to entertain the offer thus made,
coming as il does after four months Of
~protracted negotiations. closes five years
OF extended agitation and makes it use
less to further pursue discussion on lines
hitherto followed and the imperial gov
\ - ilAlSliI ~ ION NOllpCIIcu " COiSluGF lll6
situation afresh and formulate it's own
proposals in South Africa policy con
stantly followed for many years by the
government Of South Africa. They will
communicate the result of their DELHI
erations in a later Dispatch
In a later communication, dated Sep
TENDER %, the imperial government takes
up the charge of breach Of faith insinu-
ated by Secretary of State Reitz, Sep
TENDER 16. (which we cannot pass over
in silence
Mr.. Chamberlain then says: THE pro-
posals made by the South African re-
public in it's letters of August 10 and
20 were not induced by suggestions given
by the British agent from the state at
torney sounded the British agent both
in writing n in conversation as to the
conditions on which the imperial gov
eminent would waive the invitation to a
joint inquiry and the result Of these COM
munications was the proposals made by
the South African government in these
letters. 1t is impossible that the South
African government could have had
any doubt as to the imperial govern
ment's answer to the conditions named
and my reply was actually the same as
the British agent had foreshadowed to
the state attorney and which therefore the
South African government must have
anticipated in making the proposals.
1.-The imperial government also denies
that it's telegram of September 6 sub
stituted an entirely new DropOsa for
the invitation to a joint commission of
inquiry"
The imperial government then quotes
the dispatch from South Africa of Au-
gust 10, containing an alternative pro-
posal identical with that which the i'm
Derial government is said to have substi-
tuted and the communication then pro-
ceeds as follows: The imperial gov
eminent sees no ground for misappre-
hension on the part of the South African
I republic as to it's answer regarding non
interference and suzerainty, as the i'm
perial government had already stated
that it would not press for the appoint
ment of a Joint commission Of inquiry
in view of the fact that such an inquiry
would in the opinion Of the South African
republic prejudice the right of full in.
dependence repeatedly recognized by the
imperial government. AS to the use o.
the English language in the volksraac
the imperial government regards this a:
reasonable and is astonished that the
government of the South African repub
lie should deem it unnecessary and make
a point of denying what the government
of the South African republic had pro
posed to the British agent"