The record-union., 1899-10-07
THE BoERs AND THE ENGLISH.

arose an issue of suzeralnty Which
after heated contention and several
treaty negotiations was settled by the
acknowledgement of the claim by the
Beers in favor of England. 1t was no
doubt humiliating and has ever been
thorn in Boer flesh. Under this claim
the later British pretensions were
pushed forward and the present diff
Guilty developed.
We have now the distinct announce
ment of the British Government that in
none Of its demands does it contem-
propositions looking to the destruction
Of the independence of the Boer Gov
ernment. Treating this as sincere, and
there is no reason whatever to doubt
1t, there is opened ground upon which
the two parties ought to be able to
meet and agree upon such adjustment
Of their difficulties as will prevent war,
which to each must prove a costly and
disastrous outcome of the present dis
agreement.
II, however, war ensues, we may rest
assured that the claim of suzerainty on
the part Of the British will develop
into complete subsection of the Beers
to British rule and the extinction of
the Transvaal as an independency,
which it is now conceded to be by the
British Government. War, however,
will absolve it from that recognition
and the results of conquest will have
their logical consequences, one Of which
will be obliteration of the independent
lines of Government now maintained by
the Beers.
AS to whether the Imperial Govern
ment has any right to concern itself
in the domestic affairs of the Trans
vaal and dictate to the Beers whom
they shall receive into the communion
Of their State, we have a very definite
opinion We have been unable to find
stable grounding for such claim of
right. In fact England has no right to
interfere in Transvaal affairs, except
when they involve the relations of that
State with foreign Governments.
Under the treaty of 1881 between
England and the Beers it was distinctly
declared that the South African repub-
lie was an Independent State. sovereign
as to all its domestic affairs, but That
as to external matters it should make
no advances, except through the I'm
peflal Government. The later treaty
OF 1884 enlarged the independent char
acter Of the republic and the limita-
tions Of the English, were more circum-
scribed and rigidly held to relate only
TO the concerns of the Transvaal with
foreign States.
Before that, Great Britain was the
only possible representative Of the re-
public In its communication with out
side countries, but under the later
treaty the Transvaal could inaugurate
foreign correspondence with the con-
sent, and conduct it under the approval
OF Great Britain. AS the present trou-
bles do not relate to foreign issues, it
is very difficult to understand how any
position England now takes can be for
titled by the claim of suzerainty or any
reference to the treaties between the
two countries.
1t Is unquestionably true that the ex-
actions Of the Beers upon the Uitland-
ers work serious hardships, are severe
and represent unprogressive ideas ac-
tn na
world. 1t is also true that most Uit-
landers are English. But many unaf-
fected people in all this trouble have
been unable to understand why, for
these reasons Great Britain should at
tempt to force upon the TransvaaI a
citizenship to which it's government Is
bitterly opposed.
In England there is divergence OF
opinions upon the justice of the claim
Of the British Government concerning
the elective franchise, though none con-
corning the duty of sustaining the Gov
ernment The opposition to the claim
is by no means small or weak. 1t was
reflected, for instance, in the speech of
Sir Henry Campbeu-B -Banerman, Lib
eral, at Maidstone, on the 9th instant.
when he declared that it was an evil
day in which the claim now preferred
was dug out of the grave where it was
decently buried in 1884 by the wise and
experienced men who then had the con-
duct of British affairs. They buried 1t,
he continued, because they knew it TO
be devoid of efficacy and fruitful of
difficulty.
But the most significansportion of his
speech was that in which-and our own
opposition to the Administration may
take a lesson here-he declared that in
the present crisis party feeling must
stand aside, that the Liberals though
in opposition to the Government party
would not, from a sense of patriotic
duty, embaI ass the Government
Nevertheless he believed no one could
answer the question, what is the coun-
try threatening 10 go to war about?"
lie believed the country had confound-
ed the word suzerainty, (which is
valueless, with the great fact which is
essential and cardinal-the preponder-
ance, the supremacy. the paramountcy.
or whatever you may wish to call it,