Arizona republican., 1899-07-15
The Discouraged Liberal Min
 iStry Making a Show.
MENACLNG THE TRANSVAAL
Less Wifh inc Purpose of Bringing Kruger to Terms Than 10 Give inc English People Something 10 Think About Besides inc Mistakes of inc Government of Uaifcd IinqGom.

London, July 14-By a singular O.
 incidence the news from the Trans
 vaaI is reassuring, and references to
 war1ike preparations in English dock
 yards appear in big type in the sober
 est London journals The combined
 raads in secret session are believed to
 have gone at least half way toward
 the acceptance of the terms suggested
 by MT. Hofmeyer and the negotiators
 from Bloemfontein, and possibly even
 further. President Kruger is credited
 with willingness to make concessions
 in advance of h:s proposals to Str
 Alfred ,Milner, although still behind
 what ministers here consider a just
 and equitable compromise. He is
 coming on slowly, but surely.
 Yet a great flourish is suddenly
 made of the active measures taken by
 the military authorities to increase
 the efficiency of the garrison in SoU-h
 Africa for defensive purposes Twenty officers of the army intelligence de-
 partment have received orders 10 tol- low the two companies of Royal en- gineers already dispatched, and they are to organize the police and local forces on the frontier of the Trans yaaI. Supplies of arms and powder have already been shipped, and two all during August. There arg other signs of military activity, and a def1ita plan of campaign is again reported to have been carefully prepared for possible emergency. The ostentatious display made of these military prSp- arations is not well timed if President Kruger is in the mood for listening to reason. Probably he is not so con ciIiatory as the optimis.s at the Cape mnke out, and the ministers are con vinced that he will not yield until he hears that Q large force of regulars is ] on the sea. The best inside cues which can be had today indicate that 1 Kruger. while cOaceding substantial | reforms, will not satisfy Sir Alfred | and that there win be a con- | tinuance of military preparations u1- til Mir. Chamberlain carries his main points and obtains an adequate settle ment of all questions at issue.
 Political pessimists assert that the ministers are dismayed by liberal ans in by-elections, and are not re- Iuctant to make a sudden plunge in South Africa, even when there are no signs of war fever in England. Ger tafnIy there is no pressure Of public feeling in favor of war, although there is a deep conviction n the minds Of most Englishmen that Kruger has been played with long enough. and ought to be forced to respect the da- hands of justice.
 It Is also true that the ministers arc lot increasing either their prestige or heir popularity by the belated legis- atfon of the waning session. They nave carried the telephone bill through the grand committee stage ,y loading the monopolists with boun ses and extending their license, and y abandoning nearly all the original They have rendered it in practicable for the state to acquire tho eIephone business except on exor ,itant terms, and at ths same tins lave hampered and discouraged the nunicipaliZatiOn of the service. They l lave also created dissatisfaction i'll ' heir own party by forcing through 3 ! mall, but i'll timed relief measure fo5 , he benefit of the beneficed clergy.