The Portland daily press., 1899-09-09
THE BoER AND BRITISH.
A Powerful Appeal 90 Lord Salisbury
Against the Action OF sir. Chamber
lain.


The LONDON DAILY Cnronlcle.1
Tho following open letter, addressed BY
Mr.. Frederic Harrison TO Lcrl Salisbury.
has been sent to us for publication:
TO tho Marquis Of Salisbury, Prime Min
istsr, Chief Secretary of State for For
eign Afiairs
My Lordi In a crisis Of our history,
those VINO fear that England may be
dragged into an unjust aud ominous war
turn all their hopes cf place on you and
your known principles OF action. You
are the chief OF the Governments and the
accepted head OF the most powerful party
known to recent times. No other living
statesman can prstsar to such experience
as yours In nj. international affairs, nor
docs any other pufssss In so eminent
degree the contidsncs OF the nation. To
many of us 1t seems an unnatural thing
that our country should be on the verge
OF formidable war. Sthe Interior comp 1 I.
cations OF which no man can predict,
while you are more OF less In the back
ground; az most. a consentinr party to
p rotracted negotiations whersin you are
not known to take any personal share.
It is mere accident, Or rather, de-
tail of official arrangement that the
moving power in this crisis rests with the
Colonisl and not VITA tis Foreign Oifice.
1T is net tie business of TIE Colonial
uffi,c u emtark tlIs empire IN fSrelRn
war. 1t is no dutJ of the Minister for
TIA Colonies t, make war, nor u make
war newt sble. 1t Is idle to tell us that
this crisis Is a Ipurely Colonial difficulty,
to lie settled In the Colonial Ofiius and
decided by Colonial interests. A war
which 1--WE are toid) may opsn with the
bringing into the fell OF 10000 British
troops In distant continent, which Will
Inevitably lead I've are told) to prolonged
military occupation of vast tract, which
must shake-th whole empire to its base,
ard may lsad to International compiled.
tions yet unperceived- such war is an
question for the head of the Government
to decide, and for the head of the Foreign
Office to take under his Immediate eye
and responsibility. 1t would be mon
strous II mere administrative arrange
ent should enable q department, pressed
as 1t is by local ambitions to drag these
-
tional struggle wherein the entire empire
Is certain to be strainsh. II not brought
to extreme peril, by opening its vulnera.
BILE sides at once to all its enemies and its
rivals.
No legal quibbling about snzerainty
can persuade us that the South African
Republic Is part OF the empires 1t must
be foreign State, even though 1t be Que
over which by agreement Great Britain
has some control. But this control Is
solely concerned with this external, not
with the internal relations of the repub-
lie. The point In dispute solely relates to
the internal relations of the 1ransvaal.
No one pretends tina tine dispute concerns
the dealings OF the republic with foreign
nations. Therefore, the cause of war, II
war there IL to be. arises from matters
between Great Britain and the home
affairs of a republic which Ia not within
the empire, not within The duminions of
this Queen. Ii war Is 10 bs declared
against such u republic, 10 Is prominent
~ "A war for which the Foreign Office is
virtually, II not technically. responsible;
In which the whole future of the empire
will he staked; for the justice and conse-
quences whereof the Prime Minister of
our country for the time will be Judged
by his oountrymen and byitheir descend
ants
My Lord, IL is you whom history will
hold responsible for this war, and for all
whom France holds answerable for
sedan; and not hugeLie. Olivier or the
Marshals. Mr.. Chamberlain may be
technically within bis rights in pstting
himself against President Kruger, as If
he were dtfying the Opposition across the
floor OF the Houss. But 10 will be the
Marquis of Salisbury who will plunge
this empire into war, whom France, Ger.
many, Russia, and the rest, will call up-
on to deal with all Its Interior compiled.
lions. And IL Is You, my Lord, whom
our Queen will hold to be that one OF her
servants ON whose head lies the weight OF
war closing the end OF her slong and
glorions reign--a war which the majority
of Englishmen know TO he mean and
unjust, which many men OF great expert
once look on as charged with permanent
trouble and possible disaster to our vast
ard scattered empire.
A majority of Englishmen, / assert,
know in their hearts that this war would
be unjust, even II, too, many of them,
knowing that desire it to go on, notwith-
standing It's Injustice. 1t is not true.
however loudly Ii be repeated, that thu.
great majority of Englishmen do seek to
push the war to the end. Noisy, AFRO
grant. and trading groups OF men, or
ganized and intriguing for their own
ends, are doing this. Bat they are not
the nation. On all sides there are qdiet
protests being raised against 1t, by men
those interests which are playing their
own game. The same quiet but CON-
WINGED reluctance Is to be heard from SEN
sibie and honest Conservatives. They,
as We all do, put their trust in you. In
Africa whether among SUBJECTS of the
Queen or those outside her dominious, IL
is universal feeling that. II you took this
matter into your own hands 1t could be
settled in week. You, my Lord, whose
reputation for moderation patience,
peaceabie compromise Of International
embroilmentl stands SO high through out