Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-29
IN A CLOSE CORNER
Chamberlain ia Hard Pressed by Those Who
Wish to Know the Truth.
lABoUCHERE GETS RIGHT AFTER HIN
Gives Some Facts Concerning the Suppression
of Correspondence.
PRESS CENSORSHIP IN SOUTH AFRICA
PRESS CENSORSHIP IN SOUTH AFRICA
Dispatches Are So Mutilated that They Are
Practically Without Value
OLD, STALE AND USELESS WHEN RECEIVED
Auth critics Exert Themselves to
Keep the British Public in Igno-
rance of the True Condition
of Affairs.

rance of the True Condition
of Affairs.
Copyright, 1899, by Press Publishing Coz
LONDON, Oct. 2S.-(New York World Ca
blegram-Special Teegram.)-The mystery
OF Chamberlain's suppressed correspondence
between Boucher Hawkesley, solicitor. and
Cecil Rhodes, deepens. Even those most
firmly convinced that Chamberlain is too
shrewd to commit himself in a way likely
to lead to detection in so risky an enter
prise as the Jameson raid, have their faith
shaken by his tricky offer to reveal one
letter to Harland or Bannerman and hs
subsequent unqualified refusal to give the
correspondence TO Parliament. Suspicion is
also aroused by the other fact revealed the
first time by Labouchere, who was a mem
ber of the South Africa committee OF in
quiry into the raid and conspiracy and who,
with Edward Blake, retired, as a protest
against the decision of a majority
of the committee in refusing permission to
cross-eXamine Hawkesley when the COM
mittee was sitting en- camera. Labouchere,
who declares at the outset he thoroughly
believed in Chamberlains innocence, says:
whilst it is possible the character of
these kilograms and steps necessary to OBJ
tain them were being discussed by the COM
mittee, Chamberlain never hinted he had
seen them, although as a member of the
committee he ought to have done so. AT
! length one day when the committee was in
consultation Harcourt asked him point blank
whether he had seen them. After a pause
of about minute he replied he had. al
ways suspected him after this
! Labouchere having described how he was
defeated through the action of majority
| of the committee in questioning Hawkesley
about discriminating cables and letters, re-
veals another incident which has created
an impression very unfavorable to Chamber
lain:
when the debate on the report Of the
committee took place in the House Hawkes.
| ley placed these letters in the hands OF
| a member of Parliament with directions
! to read them II Chamberlain said one word
| In attack upon Rhodes. We know what
occurred on that occasion. Chamberlain
| having agreed to report in which 1t was
declared that dishonorable conduct was
proved against Rhodes. did not attack him.
but went out of his way in asserting he had
done nothing dishonorable."
| Prove Chnmberlain's Completely.
Labouchere adds that he never saw the
letters and only knows that Hawkesley, who
is a clever solicitor, solemnly asseverated
they would prove Chamberlain's completely
in the raid to the hlt. Philip Stanhope de-
termined to pursue the matter at the next
session and meanwhile by every kind OF
public pressure render further concealment
by Chamberlain only possible or equivalent
by admission of guilt.
But this is only one OF Chamberlain's
present troubles. Wednesday he was asked
in the House of Commons why he never
utilized Montague White, Transvaal consul
general, as a channel Whites desire for
peace being well known Chamberlain
excuse was:
81 have always understood that Whites
functions In this country were rather of a
commercial than a political kind, and it
never entered my mind to seek an inter-
view with him to communicate with Kruger
on matters much better communicated by
Miner at the Cape"
, He added that there was no reason why
White should not have called at the colonial
office If he had wished. 1t is shown by the
, Chronicle that Chamberlain availed himself
OF Whites services as an intermediary after
, the Jameson raid when the object was to
socthe Kruger's susceptibilities, in which
White gave valuable aid, Furthermore,
when Chamberlain began to agitate the
, suzerainty question he considered part and
parcel of that claim that no foreign repre-
sentative in the Transvaal should be rec
|, ognized by the British government and
. stopped Whites visits to the colonial office.
This Is only one OF the many episodes, all
converging to the same point, that show
that Chamberlain Systematically eliminated
every factor that could tend to peace
Rigorous Press Censorship.
. British censorship of South African dis
, | patches renders all news from the front
, unreliable, because incomplete. Later ac-
counts of the three engagements already
fought compelled even the war press TO
seriously modify the appraisement of their
3 military value. British generals apparently
} accepted as reliable the ignorant and
3 prejudiced appreciation OF the enemy given
5 by the lingo press and were tempted from
) those defensive tactics which prudence die
S tated. and paid for their temerity with
near 600 casualties.
This is not brilliant military move
and the achievement is rendered still less
g so by the terrible sacrifice of gallant and
= valuable life entailed. Censorship has done
everything possible to prevent the British
= public from learning the true state of affairs
: in Natal. This suppression is dictated
however, by political as well as military
b reasons. The ministers are fearfully ap-
J. prehensive that bad beginning Will destroy
u the popularity OF the war,
There are two cable routes from South
r Africa, one via Capetown. the other by east
e Africa from Lourenzo Marques. touching
British territory at Alden. The censor or
a all British cables operates at CapetowI
Q under the advice Of Milner. while Della.
goa Bay cable matter Is censored By
a the military officer at Alden. This Officer
y passes scarcely anything. The other day
Sir William Dunn, NJ. p, honorary consu
= general for the Orange Free State in Lon
don, In view OF the hostlites. cabled hil
resignation OF the office, The Alden censor
preyersely scented treason in this dispatch
: and transmitted II to the war office. TIL,
4 same official stopped the report OF Chamber,
Il lain's speech In the House of Commons
7 Newspaper dispatches which run the gaunt
! let of military censorship at the front ar,
d mutiiated beyond recognition in the process
n and frequently delayed or suppressed by tn
e Alden censor whose arbitrary operation