St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-11-08
Bone of Contention in South Africa.

tween the English and the Beers we
take from the Burlington Free Press.
1t will be Of special value to all our
readers who, as American citizens,
are watching the struggle in the
Transvaal with more than ordinary
interest:
The controversy which led up to the
present war seems to have had its origin
indirectly in the discovery in 1897 OF the
richest gold field in the world, on the
edge OF which the Beers without know.
ing it, had built their capital, Pretoria.
The English town of johannesburg de-
veloped as the mining centre of this great
gold basin extending thirty miles east
and west and ten miles north and south.
Gold hunters and capitalists 1ocked to
the region from all parts Of the word.
millions OF dollars were invested in min.
ing industries and the town acquired a
white population of $4,000.
In 1895 these alien residents. who are
by no means all British, many Americans
being included, |petitioned the Transvaal
government for a.redress oftheir wrongs.
The dynamite monopoly, which charged
an exorbitant price tor mining materials,
was but one OF these grievances. Among
other wrongs complained of were the ex-
clusion of all languages except the Dutch
from the schools, although the Outland
ers supported them largely the refusal Of
a municipal government to johannesburg,
which was ruled from Pretoria, and the
Withholding OF the right to trial by Jury
and the right to vote ofthose who paid
fve.sixths OF the enormous taxes of the
country, the rate of taxation having
reached the enormous amount of $50 per
capita, a sun having no parallel in a
country without a national debt and
having no elaborate public works.
The petition OF the Outlanders was de-
risively rejected by the Raad and there
ensued the Jameson raid, which was the
act Of the chartered company governing
Rhodesia and not of the Outlanders
themselves, and the share of the imperial
governments responsibility for which is
still a mooted question. Following the
defeat OF the Jameson raid the oppression
OF the Outlanders was increased, a policy
which was facilitated to a marked degree
by the provisions Of the T%ransvaal con-
summon III lhSl lliN NAlAOhiNS al
corners to the republic, but it declares
that equality between the white and
colorcd races shall not be tolerated, the
Beers believing that negroes have no
souls. 1t iorbids the existence within the
republic of any Roman Catholic church
or of any churches whatever save such as
teach the doctrines OF the Heidelburg
catechism, although it is said that a few
churches of other than the Dutch faith
are now tolerated. The supreme author
ity is nominally invested in a legislative
body to which only members OF the Re-
formed Dutch church are eligible. The
courts were formerly independent but
they are now subordinate to the execu.
tive.
After the Jameson raid power was
given to President Kruger to expel any
Outlander and coniscate his goods; and
the situation of the foreign element be
came one of great uncertainty. Finally
the murder, last winter, of an Outlandei
by a Boer policeman and the release o
the murderer under light bail, resulted
in the sending of a petition signec
by 81, 900 Outlanders, to Great Britain
asking that government to use its in
huence to secure a redress oitheir wrongs
In accordance with this petition tn,
British government asked the Trausvaa
government to grant Outlanders the
right Of franchise upon five years resi-
dence, which is the condition of Boel
suffrage, with the understanding that al
British subjects taking advantage there
Great Britain. In short they were tC
- IL. 1900 -.rL.c no nctob ,ac,Jant,
Of the British State of Cape Colony.
President Kruger tentatively yielded
the Acknowledgement concession demand
ed for the Outlanders, but he coupled
Herewith demands to the effect tina
Britain r~elinquish all suzerainty RICH
over the Transvaal; that Britain SHOULD
not in the future interfere in the interna
affairs of the Transvaal, and that al
questions in dispute not settled by con
cessions offered should be submitted t.
arbitration.
Secretary Chamberlain's reply included
propositions to the effect that Britain
would not debar its rights under conven
tons to protect its subjects from injus
tice that the question Of suzerainty b
barred from discussion that a con'erenc
be held at Cape Town at which othe
matters Of difference than the granting
oil political representation to the Out
landers should be settled, and that
tribunal of arbitration be establishe
from which foreign interference should b
excluded.
Further correspondence resulted in tn
withdrawal of the Transvaal's franchis
concession, the British government hay
ing suggested that the English member
of the Raad, when elected, be allowed t
use their own language in the deliberf
tions of that body, just as the Dutc
members of the Cape Colony Legislator
are allowed to use theirs. Thereupo
the British government proposed t
formulate new proposals, but betor
further negotiations could be institute
the Transvaal government on October
last issued an ultimatum. This instr
ment demanded that the points OF di
pute be arbitrated; that all BIRTHS
troops on the borders of the South Afr
can Republic be withdrawn, with tt
p~roviso that the armed burghers woul
also be withdrawn from the borders, an
that her majesty's troops then on tt
high seas be not landed in South Alric'
The ultimatum stated that if a satisfa
tory answer was not received by 8 p. n
on October II, 1899, the Transva'
government would be compelled to +
gard the action of her majesty's govern
ment as a formal declaration of wa
IA Octoher. 10 Mr.. Chamberlain directe