Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-26
WORDY WAR IN PARLl LAMENT
Radical Members Attack Secretary Cham
berlain's Transvaal Policy.
Latter Declares Davitt's Course il
Actuated by Sheer Hatred
of England.
A London dispatch of yesterday says:


lie has reached the legislators. Today the
house of commons proceedings were enliv-
ened by several excited passages at words
between the government supporters and the
small coterie who are opposed to the Trans
vaal war.
Apart from the diversion created by Mr..
Davitt, who threatened to resign. there was
a lively scene in the house between Gavin
Brown Clark, radical member for CATH
ness. ex-agent of the Transvaal, and Major
Rasch, conservative member for the south
east division of Essex. Mr.. Clark denied
Major Rasch's statement that he Clark
in the Boer camp at the time of the
fight at Majuba Hill, and characterized the
assertion as a sample of the mirepresenta-
ton now prevailing"
Major Rasch promptly retorted that his
statement was made the authority of
Mr.. Clark himself, who told him so six
years ago, adding that If Mr.. Clark again
denied the statement he. the major, would
take the first opportunity of repeating the
statement to him outside of parliament,
when he could take what steps he liked.
Harcourt Takes Hand.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the former
liberal leader in the house, said he desired
to again call attention to the provocation
of the secretary of state for the colonies
(Mr. Chamberlain), during the negotiations
and in his speech at Highbury.
Mr. Chamberlain replied regulating the
intention to be provocative, and saying he
only intended to be plain and free from
ambiguity. He added that he only followed
in the negotiations the principles observed
by all statesmen during the past ten or
twenty years. There time, he ex-
planned, when displomacy was regarded
given to statesmen to enable them to con-
ceal their thoughts. That might fairly be
called the cold diplomacy, which, he said,
Il absolutely and entirely repudiate.
Mr.. Chamberlain then said: 1T was neces-
l.
seriousness of the step he was called upon
to take and the consequences which would
follow any mistake on his part 1t was not
desirable to include in an official dispatch
collateral suggestions and indications of
opinion but semi-official warning was fire.
quently conveyed in a speech A similar
warning was given by Lord Salisbury to
the sultan at the Guild Hall banquet, and
am still absolutely unrepentant."
Davitt's Hatred of England.
Regarding Mr. Davitt Mr. Chamberlain
said he recognized that he had hitherto dis
cussed the matter moderately and sincerely,
land, he added, Il would pay the greatest
attention to his arguments if I did not
know he would use precisely the same ar
guments in regard to any British war which
are based on his enmtty to England"
Mr.. Chamberlain then said: What would
have been the Irish argument in the Span
ish-American war, in which Spain showed
herself infinitely less capable of defending
herself than the Transvaal-''
Here William Redmond, Parnellite mem
her for East Glare, shouted: THE Trans
Vaal did not blow up your warships.''
MIR. Chamberlain continued: The great
almost determining contest between the
United States and Spain fought with
cut the loss of a single American. We have
never denied that the TransvaaI was a foe
man worthy of our steel. Not only was
the disparity between the forces of the
spanish American as great as those now
engaged, but the contention of the United
a hair rio Of
from the fact that at some distance from
their territories there was oppression not
of American citizens. but of another race
and people, and and that justified the in
terventton of the United States in the mind
of the civilized world, or, at any rate in
the eyes of Englishmen and Irishmen But
we are interfering in behalf of our own
people. 1t IS perfectly certain that Mr.
Davttt, but for his hatred of England
would sympathize with us he did with
America"
kruger's Honesty QuestfOned
There has been on the part of the
Transvaal crookedness altogether incom-
prehensible, If they desired settlement"
continued Mr.. Chamberlain. II believe that
from first to last President Kruger never
intended to give anything approaching
equal rights to the white races or anv ac-
encouragement Of British supremacy. War,
therefore, was inevitable. There has been
an enormous strain upon us. We are called
upon to bring the war to quick conclusion.
and send across the sea such a force as
no nation ever before in history has sent
This is entirely due to the preparations
which made the Transvaal an armed camp.
and which not only secured 1t q defensive
position, but enables ii to take the often
sive against the large force now engaged
Such strain could not be continued for
ever. We should have needed a permanent
force of $4,000 men in South Africa We
are told We shall lose South Africa Our
foreign friends are convinced of It. Yet
they are not happy. Such predictions were
made before and were even current in the
days of Elizabeth. But 1 am not alarmed
One great Teutonic people cannot hold in
subsection another great Teutonic people
but this has never been our course 1t is
Impossible to pretend that the Dutch at
the Cape are crushed by our rule when
they have all the rights Englishmen pos
sess. and even in individual cases are per
mitted to talk and write treason. What
ever may be the result of the war and the
premature talk of the result of the present
war, does any one imagine that we shall
fail to do for others what we claimed for
ourselves, or refuse equal rights to the
Dutch in the Transvaal, which they refused
Us?" (Cheersl.
FORCES IN SOUTH AFRICA.