The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-10-11

l mentioned convention is handed over to the government and representatives of the people of the South African repub- lie.
 Among the questions the regulation of which falls exclusively within the
 competence of this government and of
 the Volksraad are included those of
 franchise and the representation of the
 people in this republic; and, although
 this exclusive right of this government
 and of the Volksraad for the regulations
 of the franchise and the, representation
 of the people is indisputable yet this
 government has found occasion to dis
 cuss, in friendly fashion, the franchise
 and representation of the people with
 her majestys government, without,
 however, recognizing any right thereto
 on the part of her majestys govern
 ment.
 This government has also, by the
 formulation of the now existing fran
 chise law and by a resolution with re-
 gard to the representation, constantly
 held these friendly discussions before its eyes. On the part of her majesty's
 government, however, the friendly na- ture of these discussions has assumed
 more and more threatening tone; and the minds of the people of this republic
 and the whole of South Africa have
 been excited and a condition of extreme
 tension has been created owing to the fact that her majesty's government could no longer agree to the legislation respecting the franchise and the resolu- tion respecting representation in this nd f,,o1 1xy1 September 25 1899, which broke off all friendly correspondence on the subject and intimated that her majestys gov ernment must now proceed to formulate it's own proposals for the final settle ment.
 This government can only see in the above intimation from her majesty's government a new violation of the con- vention of London, 1884, which does not reserve to her majestys government the right to a uni-lateral settlement of a question which is exclusively domes- tic one for this government and which has already been regulated by this gov ernment.
 "On account of the strained situation and the consequent serious loss in and interruption of trade in general, which the correspondence respecting franchise and the representation of the people of this republic has carried in it's train, her majesty's government has recently pressed for an early settlement and finally pressed by your intervention for an answer within forty-eight hours, a demand. subsequently, somewhat modi- fled, to your note of September 12, re- !, 1, ~f l,;.. o,,tI of September 15, and to your note of September 25, 1899; and thereafter fur ther friendly negotiations were broken off, this government receiving an inti- nation that a proposal for final settle lnent would shortly be made.
 Although this promise was once more | repeated. the proposal, up to now, has | not reached this government Even | while friendly correspondence was still | going on, the increase of troops on a | large scale was introduced by her maj | esty's government, the troops being sta | toned in the neighborhood of the bor- ders of this republic.
 Having regard to occurrences in the history of this republic which it is un- necessary here to call to mind, this re- public felt obliged to regard this mili- tary force in the neighborhood of it's borders as a threat against the inde- pendence of the South African republic, since it was aware of no circumstances which would justify the presence of such a military force in South Africa and neighborhood of its borders.
 "In an answer to an inquiry with re- ports thereto addressed to his excellen- y, the high commissioner, this govern nent received in great astonishment, in answer, a yelled insinuation that from he side of the republic an attack was being made on her majesty's colonies, md at the same time a mysterious ref rence to possibilities, whereby this gov was strengthened in it's suspi ,ion that the independence of this re- public was being threatened. As a de- ensive measure this government was therefore obliged to send portion of he burghers of this republic in order to ffer requisite resistance to similar pos-
 abilities