The times., 1899-08-10
A sauth African uitimntum.

Differing from most American neWspa-
pers, especially from those not naturally
interested in international affairs, The
Times has been satisfied from the begin
ming of the recent troubles in South Africa
that the differences between the Boer Gov
ernment and the foreign residents within
its jurisdiction would lead to English in
tervention and a solution by force in the
end.
We have never doubted this since the
spring of 1892, when President Kruger sup
pressed the Supreme Court OF the Republic
because it refused to rob outianders-no-
tably wealthy American among them-at
the dictation of his personally conducted
volksraad.
In the time intervening we have more
than once directed attention to the 'sim-
passe' 10 which the British Government
was coming, in spite of what we believe to
have been earnest efforts on the part OF the
Premier, the Colonial Secretary, and Sir
Alfred Miner to avoid an issue which
could be only decided in blood.
But Kruger and the Beers have gone the
length of their rope. The text of the
Queens speech in Parliament yesterday,
where it refers to the South African situa-
ton, amounts to an ultimatum. Now,
there must be complete surrender. or that
ultimatum will be followed by prompt in
vasion of the South African Republic AMI
the speedy wiping out of that State from
the political map of the world. Nothing
could be clearer on this point than the
royal and imperial utterance which follows:
] have received petition from a considerable
number of my subjects residing In the South
African Republic praying for my assistance to
obtain the removal of the grievances and dlsabi-
ties of which they complain The position OF
my subjects in the South African Republic Is
inconsistent with the promises OF equal treatment
upon which my grant Of internal independence
to that Republic was founded aud the unrest
caused thereby is constant source Of danger 10
the peace and prosperity of my doninions in
South Africa. Negotiations on this subject with
the South African Republic have been entered
into and are still proceeding.
Never mind the negotiations which
"have been entered into and are still pro-
ceeding" The resources OF diplomacy
have been well nigh exhausted, or the
Salisbury Ministry would not put such
words in the mouth of their sovereign. It
is cold fact that the Beers have utterly
failed to redeem the promise, made in 1884,
to endow British and other foreign sub
jects with the same rights and privileges
enjoyed by the Dutch burghers. Their
pretended concessions, passed lately, are
so fimsy and insincere that they dare not
subject them to the enquiry as TO their
bona fdes proposed by England. They
have refused to do SO, and that seems to
the outside world as the end of the matter.
The next step will naturally be an ad-
vance Of British troops, and there are
more OF them in and around Capetown
and in Natal than unobserving people may
| imagine. Six weeks ago General Butler
had fourteen thousand men of all arms at
! his command. II there is not double that
number at present TO start for Kimberley
and Pretoria we are out of our reckoning.
A square backdown might postpone the in
evitable. but the South African Republic
has shown itself so yiciously in opposition
to modern civilization that its elimination
from the list Of independent States can
only be matter of small time.