The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-09-19
ORANGE lREB STATE
UNAN1MlTY AMONG TIE BoERs.

The Transvaal State Secretary Denies
Reports or Internal Discussions. and
Says the Transvaal and Orange Free
State Are Acting In Conjunction.
London, Sept. 1.-THE Cape Town
correspondent Of the Daily Mail says:
The United States consul in Cape
Town has gone to Blosmfontein at the
request Of the government Of the
Orange Free State. to confer regard
ing the crisis. The Orange Free State
executive 10 anxious to secure Ameri-
can Intervention.
Boer spies infest all the border
towns. Two thousand troops will be
dispatched to Kimberley within q
week. Five hundred started last night
and others will 60 forward tomorrow.
from Birmingham yesterday afternoon
and spent the evening at the colonial
Office. While there he received dis
patch from Lord Salisbury, who Is at
Hatfield House, and sent a special mes
senger. without dispatches. to the pre-
mier.
There has been a lively interchange
Of dispatches between the foreign, war
and colonial ofices. but no summons
has yet been issued for cabinet eoun-
Gil.
Long dispatches were sent last even.
ing to the viceroy Of India, Lord Cur
zon, and to the British high commits
sioner in South Africa, Sir Alfred Mil
ner.
General Lord Garnet Wolseley, field
marshal and Misunderstanding, re-
turned to London yesterday and i'm
mediately repaired to the war Office.
where he remained busily employed
the greater part of the day.
The special dispatches from South
Africa CONFIRM the report telsgraphed
yesterday that the Beers are massing
artillery In positions commanding
Laings Mex. Small Boer detachments
occupy positions above Buffalo river.
The members of the Afrikander bund
in Cape TOWN. intendfo convene the
bund in congress to consider the sit
uation.
A Bloemfontein paper reports the
dismissal of several Englishmen from
the Blomfontein police force because
of their refusal to serve on the Com
mando.
A Pretoria dispatch says: The
Transyaal state secretary, F. w. Reitz.
in the course of an interview today de-
clared that the government, the volks-
raad and the people were unanimous
regarding the attitude which the
Transvaal had assumed, and that there
was no foundation whatever for the
reports of differences. Mr.. Reitz also
asserted that the Transvaal's decision
was arrived at in conjunction with the
Orange Free State.
The Transvaal volksraad yesterday
re-adopted the mining article in the
gold law. eliminated last year, en-
powering the government to confiseate
the claims and mines belonging to
people convicted of treason or con-
spiracy against the state, and enpow-
ering the government to order that the
mines be worked, and If this instruc-
ton Is. disregarded, to work them
through its own agents. Phe re-
adopted article comes into force i'm
mediately.
The Daily Telegraph publishes
communication from military CORE
spondent who, discussing the effect
of the Free State throwing its lot in
with the Transvaal. says:
"In the event of war this will great
ly increase our difficulties and will
lengthen the duration of the campaign,
but the work will be accomplished and
the Union Jack will float over consol-
idated South Africa between the Fam
best and the Cape.
1.-THE principal danger which besets
the British position is sudden out
break of hostilities, enabling the Beers
to score a few minor successes, which
would bring down upon us every
Dutchman iii South Africa, and prob
ably the statement that the Beers are
sending compressed forage to the
Natal border seems to signify that they
will not wait for new grass but are
preparing an immediate advance. For
this we certainly are not yet prepared
1t is doubtful If the few troops and
maintain the defensive. The Cape
frontier from Mafeking to Kimberley,
including the diamond fields, is prac-
tically defenseless, and combined at
tack by the Orange Free State and the
Transvaal plight result in disaster and
the retreat of our forces toward Dur
ban, leaving the border towns in the
hands Of the enemy. Small wonder is
it that these towns are alarmed. The
movement of British troops into Natal