The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-24
PEACE TERMS.
WANTS INDEPENDENCE OF THE
REPUBLICS.
Salisbury's Dignified Reply Shows the
English Side of the Case. VIII Not
Assent to Independence.


tary paper containing the kilograms
sent to the British Government by the
Presidents of the South African Re-
public and the Orange Free state, and
Great Britains reply thereto, was is
sued this afternoon. 1t first gives the
telegram sent by the two Presidents
to the Marquis of Salisbury as follows:
"BLOEMFONTEIN, March 5.-The
blood and tears of thousands who have
suffered by this war, and the prospect
of all moral and economic ruin, where
with South Africa is now threatened,
make it necessary for both belligerents
to ask themselves dispassionately and
as in the sight of the triune God for
what they are fighting and whether the
aim of each justifies all this appalling
misery and devastation.
with this object and in view of the
assertions of various British statesmen
to the effect that this war was begun
and is being carried on with the set
purpose of undermining her majestys
authority in South Africa and of setting
up an administration all over South
Africa Independent of her majesty's
Government we consider it our duty to
solemnly declare that this war was I'M
dertaken solely as a defensive measure
tomaintain thethreatened independence
of the South African republic, and is
only continued in order to secure and
dence of both republics as sovereign
international states, and to obtain the
assurance that those of her majesty's
subjects who have taken part with us
in this war shall suffer no harm what
ever in person or property. On these
conditions, but on these conditions
alone we are now, as in the past, des-
irOuS of seeing peace re-estableshied
in South Africa while if her majesty's
Government is determined to destroy
the independence of the republics, there
is nothing left to us and to our peo-
pie but to perseVere to the end in the
course already begun. In spite of the
overwhelming pre-eminence of the
British Empire, we are confident that
that God who lighted the unextinguish-
able fire of love of freedom in the
hearts of ourselves will not fOrsake
us, and that he will accomplish his work
in us and in our descendants We hest
tated to make this declaration earlier
to your eXcellency, as we feared that as
long as the advantage was always on
our side, and as long as our forces held
defensive positions far within her maj
esty's colonies, such a declaration
might hurt the feelings and honor of the
British people. But now that the pres
tge of the British empire may he con-
sidered to be assured by the capture
of one of our forces by her majesty's
troops and that we have thereby been
forced to evacuate other positions which
our troops had occupied, that difficulty
is over, and we can no longer hesitate
to clearly inform your government and
people in the sight of the whole civilized
world why We are fighting and on what
conditions we are ready to restore
peace"
The Marquis of Salisbury to the Pres
idents of the South African Republic
and the Orange Free State:
FOREIGN OFFICE, March Ill
have the honor to acknowledge your
honors' telegram, dated March from
Bloemfontein, of which the purport is
principally to demand that her majes-
tvs Government shall recognize the
incontestable independence of the South
African Republic and Free State as
sovereign international states and to
offer on those terms to bring the war
to a conclusion.
I'm the beginning of October last
peace existed between her majesty and
the two republics under conventions
which then were in existence. A dis
| cussion had been proceeding for some
months between her majesty's Govern
ment and the South African Republic,
of which the object was to obtain re-
dress for cerain very serious grievances
under which the British residents in
South Africa were suffering. In the
course of these negotiations the South
African Republic had to the knowledge
of her majesty's Government made con-
siderable ornaments and the latter had
consequently taken steps to provide cor
| responding reinforcements of the Brit
ish garrisons at Cape Town and in Ma
| tai No infringement of the rights
guaranteed by the convention had, up
that date, taken place on the British
side. Suddenly, at two days notice, the
South African Republic, after issuing
| an insulting ultimatum, declared war
| upon her majesty, and the Orange Free
| State, with whom there had not been
any discussion, took a similar step. Her
| majesty's dominions were Immediately
invaded by the two republics. Siege
was laid to three towns within the Brit
ish frontier, large portion of two
colonies was overrun, with great de-
struction of property and life, and the
| republics claimed to treat the inhabi-
tantS of extensive portions of her
majesty's dominions as if those do
| minions had been annexed to one or the
| other of them. In anticipation of these
| operations the South African Republic
! had been accommodating for many years
past military stores on an enormous
scale, which by their character could
only have been intended for use against
I Great Britain.
| Your honors make some observa-
tons of a negative character upon the
object with which these preparations
were made. I do not think it necessary
to discuss the questions you have rails
ed. But the result of these preparations
carried on with great secrecy has been
that the British empire has been COM
PEELED to confront an invasion which
has entailed upon the empire a costly
war and the loss of thousands of pre-
cious lives This great calamity has
been the penalty Great Britain has suf-
fered for having of recent years ac-
guessed to the existence of two re-
publics. In view of the use to which
the two republics have put the position
which was given them and the calam-
tiles their unprovoked attacks have in
hicted on her majesty's dominions, her
majesty's Government can only an
swer your honors' telegram by saying
that they are not prepared to assent
to the independence of either of the
South African Republic or the Orange
Free State"
The CORRESPONDENCE was read in both
houses of Parliament today and the
concluding paragraph of the British
Premier's reply ELECTED prolonged