Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-11-20
KRUGER AS A SHARP TRADER
How the Transvaal President Go
Something for Nothing.

An exceedingly curious and interest
ing story about President Kruger has
just been related for the first time by
well-known resident of Toronto,
Ont, who has spent a number of years
in south Africa.
In 1884 Paul Kruger, Jorrissen and
two other delegates from the Trans
vaal were in London negotiating with
Lord Derby the famous London con-
vention which has been SO assiduous-
ly canvassed and quoted of late. No
one has ever accused the burghers of
the Transvaal of being an especially
docile set, and during the absence of
Kruger and his fellow leaders one of
the not infrequent civic connections
took place at home. Not particularly
important in itself, it had the disagree
able effect of stopping supplies for the
country's quartet of diplomats in Lon
don, and Kruger and his colleagues,
found themselves broke" They could
not pay their board bill, and their cir
cumstances were awkward in every
way.
At this junction the Englishman who
now relates the story appeared on the
scene. He was staying in London, was
familiar with south Africa and it's pub
lie men, and knew the Transvaal dele
gates we'll. He became aware of the
financial straits in which they were,
and, as an acute business man,
thought he saw a golden opportunity.
1t was before the days of the Witwaters-
raad, and the Transvaal government
was eking out it's insufficient income by
grants of monopolies and concessions.
The Englishman had an uncle, a
wealthy Yorkshire wooden manu-
facturer Enlisting his uncle's aid he
made a proposition to Mr.. Kruger.
The two Englishmen would pay the
hotel bill and would supplement it with
a cash gift of $1,000. In return they
asked for the monopoly of the wool
manufacturing and the wool washing
of the Transvaal, in which large f1ocks
of sheep are kept by the beers. Mr..
Kruger thought it over and accepted.
The hotel bill was wiped out and the
81 900 check found it's resting place.
Thus provided with the sinews of war,
Kruger and his friends continued the
negotiations and the London conven-
ton was signed.
The Englishmen went ahead with
their plans. They intended to erect a
mill to manufacture certain wooden
goods that would find local market
and to control the export of the surplus
wool. They were to get a certain tract
Of land seventy-five acres in extent.
The city of johannesburg today stands
on that tract. They bought their ma
chinery and were ready to ship it.
Just then they mentioned their good
bargain to friend who was an Of
fetal in the colonial office. He advised
them not to proceed any farther until
the concession had been ratified by the
volksraad and the Englishmen waited.
The voolksraad met and President
Kruger submitted the proposed conces-
sion to them, exhibiting no warmth in
its advocacy. The volksraad threw
it out summarily. Then the English
men preached to President Kruger the
question Of the $1,000 and the hotel
bill. The president was suave and ex-
planned that those sums were to be
charged against the republic. The Eng
lishmen, however, are still minus their
little investment.-St. Louis Globe
Democrat.