The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-17

the effect that all these Beers were
still British subjects.
England was able TO enforce this
claim as to the Orange River country
In 1S4S by an armed invasion. when
| the resident Beers and their allies from
| the north were beaten in battle. Her
| forceful occupation would have gone
| still further into the Transvaal region
| had II not been for troublesome wars
| with the natives. The Cape govern
ment soon found itself in no position
to enforce its claims over the Beers,
and so. by conventions signed at Sand
| River in 1852 and at Bloem1ontein in
| 1854, II recognized the two little gov
| ernments as Independent states. and
abandoned sovereignty over them.
BASE OF KRUGER's CLAIM.
Here is the first ground for the pres
ent claim of President Kruger to com.
plete independence for the Transvaal.
His sturdy countrymen had gained an
advantage which they might have held
permanently had they been able to
conduct their affairs so as to give no
reason for further British interference.
The Orange Free State was success
ful in keeping its house in order and
remains Independent to this day.
There were many little statelets at
hrst in the lands beyond the Vaal. but
In time they combined. and the first
| republic of the Transvaal was organ.
| lied
In 1864 NJ. w. Pretor!us was recog-
nized as the head of the state, and n
constitution for the land was made
The condition OF the republic was.
| however by no means good. Tho
| Beers, not over 10000 in number, were
continually fighting with the natives,
| who were so numerous that they could
not be extcrminated or crushed. The
| Beers themselves did not nay their
taxes, and the government, with little
money, could not furnish proper pro-
lection to the residents.
The conditions grew worse and
worse. Finally the negro chieftains
were so generally victorious that they
| threatened the British colonies to the
! south. The weakness of the Boer
state was a point of danger to all the
! British possessions. In 1877 England
! decided that it was high time to in
! terfere. Sir Theophius Shepstone was
sent to the Beers as special COM
! missioner of Great Britain and before
| long he concluded that there was no
| way to make stable the government
! but by issuing a proclamation of an
neXation. Some of the Beers thoughr
| he was right. There were others who
| thought he did a great wrong, and
among them rises the name of Paul
| Kruger to prominence for the Iirst
! time-then, as ever since, an advocate
| of the complete independence of the
| Transvaal.
| DISASTER OF MAJUBA HILL.
OF the events that follow the Eng
| lish dislike to speak. The Beers speed
lily grew discontented. In 1880 they re-
| belled. Then came the fearful slaugh-
ter of British troops at Majuba Hill.
Great Britain came TO the Boer terms,
and by treaty signed at Pretoria in
August, 1881. guaranteed their inde-
| pendence, Subject to the suzerainty
of her majesty"
There was no mista<ing the meaning
of the word suzerainty as defined in
this convention. 1t was expressly stip-
ulated that the English crown should
appoint british resident, with a veto
power over the internal policy of the
republic toward the Kaffirs; that it
should control and conduct it's entire
foreign policy and reserve the right Of
| moving troops over its territory In
! time of war. To the Beers, however,
! the reservation was gall and worm-
wood AS they chafed more and more
under what seemed to the colonial Of
! fee a mere shadow of authority Glad
| stone cheerfully proposed q revision
| Of the convention.
Thus came the conference which lei
/ to the second or London convention
! of 1884. Though held in the metropolis
| of Great Britain itself the British pub
| lie thought little and cared less about
the matter. The Beers got pretty
much what they wanted. Out of def
| erence to Boer sensitiveness the word
| "suzerainty" expressly used in the con-
Yention of 1881, was omitted in the
new one, and the title of British
|, resident was changed to diplomatic
agent, with a restriction Of his func-
! tions to purely consular duties. Com
| plete independence was granted in do
mestic affairs. The western boun-
daries of the state We're mutually de-
! termined upon.
Though the word suzerainty was
dropped, the thing itself was asserted
in one clause, which ran as follows:
"The South African republic will con-
clude no treaty or engagement with
any other state or nation than the
orange Free State nor with any ma
| tive tribe to the eastward or west
ward of the republic, until the same
has been approved by her majesty the
| queen.
1t is to this convention of 1884 that
| all the recent discussions between Kru-
| ger and Chamberlain had reference.
The failure to mention sovereignty was
interpreted by ~ ruger as meaning that
no sovereignty existed. The omission
was regarded by Chamberlain as leav-
ing the status of relations the sam, as
| in 1881.
TROUBLE WITH UITLANDERS.
from these days date the beginnings
| or the latest developments of relations
between the English and the Beers
the relations which have led to the
war The new wealth of the country
! wealth. despised by the Beers, caused
the thrush of Uitlanders, men not
wanted by the Boer occupants of the
ldnu' AS in the earlier cases the
Polcy adopted by England was one
Lor protection OF her trade and the well
! rare or her citizens. Conflict in the
future was discerned,
Ihe discovery of gold in the Trans
Vaai came in 1884. 1t meant for that
iand what the discovery Of the Kimber-
| ley diamond fields had meant for Cane
colony The city of johannesburg was
rounded in the center of the gold fields.
ana became the headquarters of the
ultianders, who rushed In by thou
hdnuS. In the midst of tho ma az