Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-11-02

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 50 mad at William that for time
she forgot or ignored Kruger. She as
sembled such feet of war vessels az
has never before in the history Of the
world prepared for war-and William
sang softly.
Trouble Not Remedied. 4,
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-
Rad, openly denied that England pos
sessed any rights Of sovereignty over the
country.
In March last Joseph Chamberlain
brought the Transvaal situation promi-
nently before the House Of Commons.
He said, that President Kruger had prom
Used 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
vaal which England had, limiting 1t to
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 indepcn-
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 Tit
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 settlement Of the troubles,
only resulted in producing a frmer 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 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
hat
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-
ralization, and then five years more be-
fore the granting of the full franchise.
He placed so many conditions around
even this offer that 1t was regarded with
much suspicion. The conference had no
practical result. President Kruger sug-
gested arbitration by foreign power,
but owing to the British claim of sover-
eighty the commissioner could not con-
sent to this.
Futile Negotiations.
Negotiations went on slowly after this.
The British demands formulated them
selves as a five-year period for admission
to full burghership and an increase of the
representation of the mining districts in
the raad to one-ffth of the total number
Of members.
A bill embodying some of these points
was considered by the volksraad during
the early part of July. On the 10Th Of
that month it was passed in a form that
granted practically what President Kru-
nj ha IN fatp
conference.
Messages and diplomatic notes sent
back and forth after this brought out two
points of disagreement. President Kru-
ger insisted that IL he made any conces-
sions to the Uitlanders it should be on
the distinct understanding that England
would not regard it's interference as a
precedent and would formally resign all
pretense of sovereignty. Secretary Cham
berlain would not listen to such a sugges-
ton.
The other point Of disagreement was in
regard to the assurances that any re-
forms made would not have multiplying
conditions attached to them. Secretary
Chamberlain began to insist that joint
committee Of inquiry, made up of expert
delegates representing the Transvaal and
the British Government, be appointed to
investigate and be sure that all franchies
promises would be carried out.
Aug. p President Kruger declined to
take part in any such joint inquiry, but
offered a five-year franchise on condition
that England would promise nSt to assert
sovereignty in the future, and not to in
terfere again with the internal affairs Of
the Transvaal. England formulated,
Sept. 8, a note to the Beers which was
so specific that it was regarded as almost
an utimatum. 1t asserted sovereignty
and reminded Kruger that the proposal
for joint inquiry would not always re-
main open.
President Kruger replied Sept. Is with
a definite denial of England's sovereign
ty, and with a refusal to put the English
and Dutch languages on an equality in
the raad. He also this time placed seven
years as the minimum he would consent
to as a preliminary to the franchise. To
this England replied Sept % with a tenn
PORTING note which was taken to mean
practically postponement Of any ultima
tum till her troops were ready for the
field. The volksraad had Aug. % re-
jected the proposal to do away with the
dynamite monopoly, and that made the
situation with England still worse.
Active arming was kept up on both
sides, and the situation was intensified
when, on Sept. %, the Orange Free State
raad decided to cast It's fortunes with it's
neighbor republic. Britain continued to
pour troops into South Africa, and the
. r. T.