Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-07
Reply of the TranSvaal
Government Shows It
ALL THEIR CONCESSIONS
Have Been Granted and President
Kruger Says That He Can Do Moth
ing MOre--BritiSh Troops Have
Been Summoned From India.

London, Sept. Mr. Chamberlain re-
manned at the foreign Office until shortly
before midnight last night. He declined
to make statement regarding the
Transvaal situation, but expressed de-
+, sire to see a copy of the following tram
script of the Transvaal governments re-
ply issued by the Transvaal agent in
Brussels tonight, which was forwarded to
him by the Associated Press:
! In reply to the last dispatch of the
British government the Transvaal gov
eminent on Saturday handed to the Brit
ish agent in Pretoria a response of which
| the following is the purport:
The government of the South African
republic regrets that Great Britain is of
the opinion that it is unable to accept the
proposals made by the Transvaal in the
dispatches of August 10 and August II,
I by which the terms for obtaining the
franchise was fixed at five years and the
representation of the Witwatersand dis
patches was included. The government
regrets this the more inasmuch as it con-
sidered itself able to deduce from the ne
gotiations previous to it's formal propos-
ais that the latter would be accepted by
the British government. In these rondi-
tions the Transvaal considers its propos-
ais are annulled and finds it necessary to
submit them to the volksraad and the
people. 1t remains of the opinion that it's
proposals are very liberal and more eX
tensive than those presented to the Brit
ish high commissioner at BlOemfOntein.
1t is also Of the opinion that the condi-
tons attached to these proposals are
reasonable. The Transvaal never desired
t.reat Britain to abandon any rights pos
sessed by virtue of the London corven-
ton of 1884 of by virtue of International
law. The Transvaal still hopes that these
declarations will lead to a good UNDER
standing and a solution of the existing
differences
With regard to the question Of suzer-
ainty, the Transvaal government refers
to the dispatch of April 1G, 1885, and con-
siders 1t unnecessary to repeat that Gis-
patch. The reply then proceeds to say:
.'rhe Transvaal government has al
ready made known to the British agent
it's objections to accepting the proposals
contained in the high commissioner tel
egram of August 2, suggesting the ap-
pointment of delegates to draw up a re-
port on the last electoral law voted by
the volksraad If the sided examin-
alton referred to in the last British dis
patch should show that the existing cleo
toral law can be made more efficient the
TransVaal government is ready to make
a proposal to the volksraad with this OBJ
information possible, but is of the opin-
ion that the result of such an inquiry, so
far as regards a useful appreciation of
the law will be of little value. NeVerthe-
less. the government is very desirOus of
sa atisfying Great Britain in the matter of
electoral law and the representation of
mining districts"
The reply then refers to Mr.. Chamber
lain'S proposals respecting Il joint in
quiry and says:
considering that by these proposals
Great Britain does not aim at any inter
ference in the affairs of the Transvaal
and that the action would not be regard
ed as a precedent but has solely for it's
object to ascertain whether the franchise
law fulfills it's purpose. The Transvaal
government will await the ulterior pro-
posals of Great Britain as to the eventual
constitution of such commission as well
as the place and the time of meeting
The Transvaal government further
proposes at an early date to send a fresh
reply to the letter of July q, and ex-
presses satisfaction that Great Britain
has declared a readiness to negotiate on
the question of court of arbitration. 1t
says it would like to learn, however,
whether the free state burghers would be
admitted to such court, and what would
be the scope of the courts decisions it
appearing to the Transvaal government
that the restrictions imposed will pre-
vent the attainment of the objects aimed
at. With regard to the ulterior confer
ence, the Transvaal awaits the commu-
nications of Great Britain. The Brussels
agent of the Transvaal claims that in
making it's recent proposals, the Trans
vaal government has acted on the advice
of the British agent in Pretoria, COnyng-
ham Greene.