The age-herald., 1899-08-27
THE OUTLOOK IS SERIOUS
Endless SuppOSition in Regard to Kru-
 gers Cunter Proposition.
CHAMBERLAIN STILL TEMPORIzINe
Every Day the Situation Becomes Worse, and it Seems That the Two Races Will be Locked
 in Sanguinary Struggle

London, August 26.-Though no actual developments have apparently taken place since the Transvaal situation was previous ly reviewed in these dispatches, public in- terest In the crisis has been wonderfully quickened. This is due to the dawning re- alization that Great Britain is making the most methodical preparations for war. The utter lack of official news and the se- rious outlook have made the week one of tension. Contradictory reports from home and abroad have fiourished, and on the strength of these the newspapers have see sawed from peace to war and vice versa, hopehessly at sea.
 Endless Suppositien
 Endless supposition has been indulged in regarding President Kruger's counter propositions, but from a broad point of View such details are not important as compared with the fact that President Kruger has refused, some say evaded the 'irreducible minimum" of Sir Alfred Mill her, the governor of Cape Colony and British high commissioner of South Africa. It is now nearly week since the British government has been in possession of President Kruger's reply. Whether in the |. Chamberlain. the secretary of state for the colonies, are still temporizing, or whether or not decisive ultimatum is already on the way to the president of the Transvaal, is conjecture.
 The most conservative opinion is that the Boers will ultimately back down. There are no signs judging from the military ac- tivity at the British war office and the same activity in the South African repub- lie, that such is likely to be the case. though both sides may be using the move ments of troops as a bluff. That Mr. Chamberlain is not in a pacific mood is evidenced by the publication subsequent to the reception of Kruger's reply of the cor respondence between the Boers and Sir Alfred finer.
 According to the Speaker, this action has immeasurably increased the difficulties of keeping in the peace.
 Commenting upon this fact, the Speaker says:
 Moderation Not Appreciated
 Unfortunately neither in Downing street nor at Pretoria Is the value of moderation and good temper sufficiently appreciated. The consequence is that every day the sit- nation become more dangerous and may yet see the two races locked in a sanguin- ary struggle simply because the leading men on both sides have failed to keep sufficient command over their own tempers and those of their immediate sup porters."
 Definite prognostications as to the out come of the Transvaal crisis, hedged in as 1t is with secrecy and countless loopholes through which either side might era WI are thus debarred. All that can be said is that in a very short period, probably less than a week, the world will know definitely whether President Kruger finally acknowl- edges British suzerainty and its potentiali- ties, or whether he really intends to re- sort to arms in order to defend his conten- ton. It is palpable that the British vii, now refuse to accept any evasion of their suzeramty claims, whatever other conces- sions President Kruger might make.
 The Transvaal correspondent of the Man. chester Guardian, a well known writer on economies, says that he finds wide spread flanders to take the franchise insisted upon by MT. Chamberlain, but no eagerness. He says the Uitlanders' grievances are genu- inc, but greatly exaggerated and not keen- ly felt except by the hot headed politicians The Sunday Review in an article on Amer ica in the Pacific, dwells exhaustively, in a caustic vein on the future there. It refers to the action of the United States in the Philippines as little short of amazing, and declares that Russia, Japan, Great Brit ain and the United States are protragnis- tics for the premiership in the Pacific Referring to the future of Australia in the Pacific problem the Review says
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