The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1899-10-19
CAUSES REMARK
Calling Out of the Militia a Sub.
ject of Widespread Won
derment.
Generally Believed 1t Is a Dem
onstration for EurOpe's
Benefit.
Sir William Vernon HarcOurt
Roundly Scores Mr.. Joseph
Chamberlain.

LONDON. Oct, 1Y.-Ir the house Of
commons the first lord Of the treasury
and government leader, Arthur j. Bal.
four, brought in the following message
from the queen:
The state of affairs in Africa having
constituted, in the opinion Of her ma
jesty, a case of emergency within the
meaning of the act Of parliament, her
majesty deems it proper to prove addi.
tional means for military service. She
has, therefore, thought it right to COM
municate to the house that her majesty
is, by proclamation, about to order the
embodiment Of the militia and to call
out the military reserve force, or such
part thereof as her majesty may think
necessary, for permanent service.
- Chamberlain scored By H.reour..
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, former
official leader Of the Liberal party. fol.
lowing several minor speeches for and
against the government. said it was
the duty Of the house to support the gov.
eminent in maintaining the integrity
Of the dominions of the queen, but that
they had a right to speak of the policy
Of the government in an altogether diff
ferent tone.
He went on to justify the opposition's
criticism Of the conduct of the negotia-
tians prior to the receipt of the ulti-
matum, declaring his belief that there
were salient circumstances in the trans
action which
Did Not Tend to . Peaceable Solution.
Although l do not charge the gov.
ernment," said Sir William, with de.
liberately avoiding a peaceable solu-
ton, in my opinion there is no justifica.
ton for saying that there has been
criminal o~bstinacy on the part of the
Transvaal. Step by step, it will be
found. on wise advice from the Orange
Free State and the government Of Cape
Colony, the Transvaal, until the doc,
was shut, yielded and was continuing
to yield to pressure"
He then proceeded to contrast Mr.
Chamberlain's previous utterances with
his present attitude and asserted tina,
there was absolutely no need to rejec,
the T~ransvaal's offer of Aug. 5. The
language used by Mr.. Chamberlain
just after that offer was made and
when negotiations had reached a mos,
promising point, could not be consid.
cred tending to a peaceable settlement.
Auxeraiuty Droppsd in z
Referring to the final breach, 81,
William said:
ION Sept. 6, the Transvaal sent a
dispatch pressing for appointment of
joint commission to consider their Offer
on condition that suzerainty be dropped
Everybody is now convinced that suzer
ainty was dropped in 1884. Loud min
~isterial protests.] AT any rate success
sive secretaries of state were of that
opinion"
Mr.. Chamberlain emphatically dis
sented.
Sir William, resuming, went on Il
remark that suzerainty was only FOR
mally announced to President Kruge,
by Nj. Chamberlain in 1899. He com
mented upon the extraordinary delay
in sending the final proposals Of Grea'
Britain"
The British nation" he exclaimed
"has d right TO knoY what the pro
posals OF the government are. Th'
government has no right to involve tn,
nation in a war in the dark"
Probably P~rec.utio nary.
The calling out Of the militia and tn,
military reserves has occasioned wide
spread wonderment. Old stories O,
preparations against continental com.
binations are revived 1t is freely ru
mored that the government is deter
mined to demonstrate to Europe that
the British army is not a negative
quantity.
Probably both the attitude of Europ.
and that Of the natives in South Africa
have something to do with this move
ment, and the lavish display Of force i.
intended, doubtless, not only to check
the i'll will apparent Oh both sides Of
the Rhine and beyond the Vistula, but
also to guard against the ''black peril
According to the statistics published
this year, the militia. including the per
manent staff and the militia reserve
numbers 152, 493.
1t is not believed that the militia arr
to be sent to South Africa. Presum.
ably they will replenish the denuded
British garrison towns and thus permit
the government to send to the Cape ali
the regulars rendered necessary by de-
yelOuments in SOnth Africa