The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-09-07


tIonary organization. other operative
concerns did the same. and. ar the hys-
terlcai fever OF liberty or death''
spread well armed revolutionary body
was set ON foot.
We have now come 70 the events oc-
CURING during the month Of December.
lts. During that same month the
wires had been kept hot between Lon
don and Cape Town. Every message
| was I'm cipher. and after inspection al
the Cape IL was sent on 10 Johannes
burg. The cloud darkened. Kruger
woke up and suddenly understood that
"A storm had gathered and was about 10
break. The members OF his cabinet All
but clung about his knees, begging him
TO avert what seemed the ineyitable-
In Difference To his old companions In
arms. and not through any fear. fhe
stubborn old Boer at last consented to
receive a delegation from the reform
committee. and even went so far as 10
| promise specific reforms.
But here Rhodes apple cart was
kicked over And thereby hangs n
! tale. and a very sad one TO Anglican
ears
The foot that kicked the cart was
DR.. Jameson's. The i'll fated Jameson
raid became a matter OF history, and
Kruger straightway declared that his
promises 10 the reform committee were
nullified by that lawless act. But why
did these reformers ask for a meeting
with the Transvaal president when
their original plan had been TO force
Kruger To make an armed demonstra-
tior against Johannesburg and IL possi-
BILE provoke the Beers into firing ths
first shot?
Many have stopped to ask the mean
ing OF this strange incongruty. The
truth has never been told, and In OH
cial circles the question has always
been evaded. The secret of the whole
business was the duplicity or Cecil
Rhodes. who failed to disclose his
change of plans to his colleagues. The
reformers OF johannesburg wanted a
purely South African amalgamation-
| Mr.. Rhodes looked over and beyond
| their heads and kept his eye on the
broader imperial horizon, where the
| cloud OF annexation still fioated no big
| ger than a mans hand. His timidity
was the thing that saved the South Af-
| rican Republic. II was not until the
| last few days OF 1896 that the truth
leaked out, in some obscure hints made
by certain OF Rhodes English associates
and in a remark or two dropped in Cape
Town by Rhodes himself.
Just about this time we find DIR.
| Jameson very restless. though not yet
realizing his friends change from
democratic TO imperialistic dreams. DR..
Jim sent wire after wire to his chief
at the Cape asking for light. Chafng
under Rhodes antiquities and puzzled
by the seeming uncertainty and paraly-
sis that had come over his director. DR.
Jim kicked over the shafts. cut the
4 -. n.x1 a
Transvaal capital. and at the same time
| cut the last thread from which hung the
! hopes OF a South African empire In the
/ nineteenth century.
| Then followed his dash across thu,
| border. He was met by the Beers ant
harassed and hemmed I'm until he could
| do nothing but run up his white flag OF
surrender. Then IL was Rhodes in his
! hour OF terrible disappointment cried
| bitterly, my God. Jim has kicked
over my apple cart!'' The phrase be- /.
came historic.
IL was the we'll loaded apple cart oe
brilliant man who was and still 10 in
the hands of a rapacious group OF Eng>
lish capitalists and moneyed adven~
turers whose hunger for dividends IL
as great as their hatred for the Boers
This Boer on the other hend, has a
4
its sordid phases. He grinds his teeth
to think gold was ever found In his se>
cluded little homeland.
The capitalists know that these gold
mines OF the Transvaal are worked by
| a number OF limited joint stock COM
panies, and that I'm case OF war be-
tween England and the Beers the price
|, of shares will go down, till stocks can
| be secured for a mere song. The next
| step would be To consolidate the whole
mining interests under single mann
moth trust. for at fair capitalization
of the profits mines SO operated would
yield many millions each year.
Behind all the present trouble are
some OF the wealthiest and most
influential men in the business world.
and the whole thing. as I have
said before. is simply plot on the par.
OF a group of capitalists TO secure pos
session OF property, known to be huge
ly profitable. from which they have been
tantaIizingly turned away time and
| time again.
Because Kruger will not give band
OF reckless and selfish adventurers
everything for which they have the pre-
sumption to ask, this so called oppres-
| sion is twisted into an excuse for
more powerful nation to sweep away
/ the pastoral home the Boer has made
| for himself i'm order that the august
| capitalists OF London may have the
privilege of raking in a few million
pounds sterling more year from gold
| and diamond mining i'm the land that
| lies north of the River Vaal Such IN
the result OF the whole Transvaal trou-
be.
! -----------