Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1899-09-28
NO DOUBT OF
FREE STATE
The Volksraad Passes a ResoIu-
tion Declaring an
Alliance.
WILL AID THE TRANsvAAL.
Speculation as to Scene of First
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AmerI-
can Mules.

London, Eng, Sept. 2S.-The deci
sion of the Volksraad of the Orange
Free State to join with the Transvaal
in the event of hostilities is the lead
ing news of today and will naturally
stiffen the Beers in their independent
attitude. The raad's resolution has
made brotherhood of arms between
the. Transvaal and the Orange Free
State an absolute certainty. The Bri-
tish will have to face the situation.
The volksraad resolution reads:
Considering the Transvaal govern
ment during the negotiations with the
imperial government during the past
several months has made every en-
deayor to arrive at a peaceful solu-
tion of the differences raised by the
aliens in the Transvaal and taken up
by the imperial government as it's own
cause, which endeavors have unfortu-
nately had only this result, that Bri-
tish troops are concentrated on the
border of the Transvaal and are still
being strengthened.
Resolved, We instruct the govern
ment to still use every means to main
tain peace and in peaceful manner
contribute towards a solution of the
existing difficulties provided it be
deemed not violating the honor and
principles of the Free State and Trans
vaal and wishes the ministry to make
known its opinion that there exists
no cause for war and that war against
the Transvaal as now undertaken or
occasioned by the imperial government
w. morally be war against the whole
white population of Africa and in its
consequences criminal, for come what.
may, the Free State will honestly and
faithfully fulfill it's obligations towards
the Transvaal by virtue of political
alliance between the two republics"
Intense excitement continues to pre-
vail at Pretoria, where apparently 1t
Is believed there is no escape from
war. The field cornets of Pretoria are
again serving out rifles and comman-
deering is actively proceeding and all
are being made to take
the field. Burghers are getting I'M
easy at the concentration of British
troops between Lady Smith and
Laing' Neck at especially Glencoe and
Dundee. A nominal reason for the
concentration is the protection of the
Dundee coal fields but the burghers
shrewdly suspect the real reason of the
formation of the force is to advance
across the Transvaal frontier at Vry-
held as soon as war is declared.
The Beers do not intend to be caught
mapping and are now massing around
Vryheid to be prepared to make a
dash in force through portion of Zu-
luland, crossing the buffalo river at
point below Rorkes drift, and then,
selling the railroad, cut off the British
garrison at Dundee and Lady Smith
from the south, which would not only
interrupt the British line of ocmmuni-
cation but would seriously interfere
with the forward movement
In order to watch this portion of the
luland, crossing the Buffalo river at
railroad exposed to the Boer incursion
a British post will be established at
Rorke's Drift.
From Cape Town comes the news
that at a meeting fministerialists |
there it was unanimously resolved to
petition Queen Victoria, deprecating
the idea of war and urging joint in
quiry into the effect of, the Transvaal
franchise act as proposed by the i'm
perial government and accepted by
President Kruger. Il