Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1899-12-22

ers In johannesburg on the charge OF
treason, and upon trial four were sentenc-
ed to death. Among the latter was the
American mining expert, John lays
Hammond, but their sentences were COM
muted to fine and imprisonment. botn
the Beers and the British were fighting
mad, and everyone expected war would
follow between them, but it was averted
in curious manner.
Emperor William of Germany sent
cable message Of sympathy to President
Kruger, and the enfant terrible OF the
family Of nations by this characteristic
act changed the whole situation. England
was so mad at William that for a time
she forgot or ignored Kruger. She as
sembled such feet Of war vessels as
has never before in the history of the
world prepared for war-and William
sang softly.
Trouble Not Remedied.
But the trouble in the Transvaal was
not remedied. War talk was heard from
time to time in the Transvaal as well as
in England, and In August, 1897, Presi-
dent Kruger, in an address to the volks-
raad. openly denied that England pos
sessed any rights of sovereignty over the
country.
In March last Joseph Chamberlain
brought the Transvaal situation prom-
nently before the House of Commons.
He said that President Kruger had prom
ised reforms, but that none of his pro-
posals would be satisfactory. In another
speech during the same month he defined
the right of intervention in the Trans
yaal which England had, limiting it to
cases in which the convention of 1884
had been violated, or in which English
subjects had been treated in such man
ner as would give cause for intervention
IL they were residents OF some indepen-
dent foreign country, as France or Ger
many.
March "a a petition, which had been
signed by over 10000 British subjects in
the Transvaal, was forwarded to the
British Government through Conyngham
Greene, the British agent at Pretoria. 1t
dealt with political grievances only, and
aimed to show that the Beers were con-
tinually making existence harder for the
Uitlanders. A body known as the Uit-
lander council was formed, and its COM
munications with Sir Alfred Miner. gov
ernor of Cape Colony, met with favor
able response. Negotiations, in the hope
Of securing a settlement of the troubles,
only resulted in producing a firmer and
more emphatic assertion of his rights by
President Kruger.
No definite answer to the Uitlanders'
petition came until May 10, when Joseph
Chamberlain suggested a conference be-
tween Sir Alfred Miner and President
Kruger at Pretoria. President Steyn of
the Orange Free State at once invited
the two men to meet at his capital,
Bloemfontein, and week later both ac-
cepted the invitation. The demand made
by Miner was that every foreigner who
had been resident Of the Transvaal five
years, and proposed to make it his per.
manent home, should be given full citi-
zenship, and that the distribution of rep
resentatives of the volksraad should be
so arranged that the Uitlanders, who
mostly live near johannesburg, should
have proper share in the government.
The best that President Kruger would
do was much less than this. He propos-
ed a two years residence prior to natu-
ralzation, and then five years more be-
fofe the granting Of the full franchise.
He placed SO many conditions around
even this offer that it was regarded with
much suspicion. The conference had no
practical result. President Kruger sug-
gested arbitration by a foreign power,
but owing to the British claim of sover-
eighty the commissioner could not con-
sent to this.
Futile Negotiations.