The record-union., 1899-08-22
viii Not Submit to ChamherIain's Demand
for a Court of Inquiry.
Though Officials of the Colonial
Office Are Reticent, 1t Is Said
the President of the South Afri-
can State Has Made New Pro-
posals-War Now Believed TO Be
the Only Way to Settle the Con-
troversy.
troversy.

CAPE TOWN, Aug. 21.-The report
that the Transvaal Government has
handed it's reply to the British agent
at Pretoria, to be forwarded to Sir
Alfred Miner, British High Commis-
sioner for South Africa and Governor
of Cape Colony, is confirmed. 1t is be-
lieved that the proposition of Great Bri
tain for a joint commission to investi-
gate the effect which the franchise re-
form legislation would have on the
Uitlanders has not been accepted, but
that necessary proposals have been ad
vanced.
LONDON, Aug. 21.-The Colonial Of
flee, in continuation Of the dispatch
from Cape Town saying the Transvaal
Government had handed it's reply to the
British agent at Pretoria, say that Sir
Alfred Miner has telegraphed a mes
sage to that effect. All the officials
of the Colonial office would say in re-
gard to the matter is "The reply is
not a complete acceptance of the pro-
posal of Mr.. Chamberlain, Secretary of
the Colonies.
KRUGER WILL NOT SUBMIT TO
CHAMBERLAIN'S DEMANDS.
LONDON, Aug. 21.-There is no lon
ger any doubt that President Kruger
has refused to submit to the demand
of Mr.. Chamberlain for the appoint
ment of a court of inquiry. He may
have done so automatically or hedg
ingly, but that his answer is regarded
by the British Government as tanta-
mount to positive refusal is now an es-
tablished fact The Colonial Office is
non-commital, but there are other evil
dences which amply justify the state
ment
TIE re ort that President Kruger has
pre- e new terms is somewhat veri-
fiea oy the guarded comment of the
c onial Office officials, and the irrita-
bility displayed there. There is not
fhe lightest doubt that they now be-
lie war is the only way to settle the
con yversy. They would far rather
ntEe curt defiant answer than the
temporizing answer which the Boer
President has sent them. With the
former Great Britain would have plain
grounds FOR a quick commencement of
hostilities. Under the circumstances,
which it is believed now exist, aggres-
sive action needs considerable expla-
nation to justify it in the eyes of the
world and the English minority who
still declare that war would be an out
rage.
However, if Mr.. Chamberlain has his
way, it is believed President Kruger's
counter proposals will meet with scant
attention, and unless the Beers COM
pletely back down, which is not likely.
the crisis will quickly develop into war.
1t has developed that the War Office
hos
Transvaal Governments answer for
several days, and that it was commun-
icated to the War Office, hence it is
probably that Great Britain will delay
announcement as little as possible
A high official expressed to a. repre-
sentative Of the Associated Press his
disgust at what he termed 'sKruger's
cupidity and hypocricity'' He said:
THE kind of game which Kruger is
playing must be clear to Americans.
The protestations of the Beers that
they wish to live a quiet, agricultural
life may be the tune of some of the
veldt, but the gang in Pretoria is simp-
ly after money. Though Kruger saws
many harsh things of the Uitlanders,
he never hesitated to take money out
of them, either by fair or foul means
This Transvaal question cannot be
judged by recent occurrences. You
must go back fifty years. 1t has been
hanging fire all that time and the
sooner it is settled now the BETTER
Though the official did not actually
say so. it was clear that he believed
that war was the only method of set
tIement.
1t is learned that the Government is
somewhat annoyed at the publics light
/ interest in the Transvaal.
The official above quoted said to the
Associated Press representative: "The
Dreyfus case seems the only thing that
people think about, though England is
in most serious crisis. This indiffer-
ence is perhaps TYPICAL
A special dispatch from Cape Town
says there is great danger of an out
break of violence on the frontier. and
that the scum of South Africa are en-
/ listing throughout the colony, and are
being sent to Pitsania and jameson, on
the border.