The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-14
CANNOT HAVE INDEPENDENCE.
B0ERS REQUEST For PEACE ON
THAT BASIS REFUSED. =.

piled That the Republics Having
Begun the War on English Terri
tory, England Would Not Hear to
Their Independence.
London, March ia parliamentary pa
per, containing the kilograms sent to the
British government by the Presidents of
the South African Republic and the Or
ange Free State and Great Britains re-
ply thereto was issued 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
the tears of thousands who have suffered
by this war and the prospect of all moral
and economic ruin wherewith South AZ
rica is now threatened, make it necessary
for both belligerents to ask themselves
dispassionately and as in the sight of the
triune God. for what are they 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 Majesty's authority
in South Africa and setting up an admin
istration over all of South Africa indie
pendent of Her Majestys government, we
consider it our duty to solemnly declare
that this war was undertaken solely as a
defensive measure to maintain the threat
ened independence of the South African
Republic, and is only continued in order
to secure and maintain the contestable
independence of both republics as sover-
eign international states and to obtain
the assurance that tlrose of Her Majestys
subjects who have taken part with us in
this war shall suffer no harm whatever
in person or property. On these condi-
tions, but on these conditions alone, are
we now, as in the past, desirous of seeing
peace re-established in South Africa;
While if Her Majesty's government is de-
termined to destroy the independence of
the republics, there is nothing left to us
and to our people but to persevere to the
end in the course already begun
"In spite of the overwhelming pre-emi-
nence of the British empire we are con-
fident that the God who lighted the un-
extinguishable fire of love of freedom
in the hearts of ourselves and of our fa-
thers will not forsake us, and will ac-
complish His work in US and in our des-
cendants.
1--WE hesitated to make the declara tion
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
Majesty's colonies such a declaration
might hurt the feelings and honor of the
British people. But now that the prestige
of the British empire may be considered
to be assured by the capture of one of
our forces by her majesty's troops and
that we have thereby been forced to evac-
uate other positions which our forces 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"
Lord SaIisbury's Reply.
The Marquis of Salisbury 10 the Presi-
dents of the South African Republic and
the Orange Free State:
Foreign Office, March Ill have the
honor to acknowledge your honors' tele-
gram dated March from Bloemfontein,
of which the purport is principally to de-
mand that Her Majesty's government
shall recognize the contestabe independ-
ence' of the South African Republic and
Free State as sovereign International
states and 20 offer on those terms 10
bring the war ITO conclusion
'In the beginning of October, last peace
existed between Her Majesty and the two
republics under conventions which then
were in existence. A discussion had been
proceeding some months between Her
Majesty's government and the South At
rcan Republic, of which the object was
to obtain redress for certain very serious
grievances under which the British resi-
dents in South Africa were suffering. In
the course of those negotiations the South
African Republic had, to the knowledge
of Her Majesty's government, made con-
siderable armaments, and the latter had
consequently taken steps to provide cor
responding reinforcements of the British
garrisons at Cape Town and in Natal
No infringement Of the rights guaranteed
by the conventions had, up to that point,
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 even been any
discussion, took a similar step Her Ma
jesty's dominions were Immediately in
vaded by the two republics. Siege was
laid to three towns within the British
frontier, a large portion Of two colonies
were overrun with great destruction of
property and life, and the republics
claimed to treat the inhabitants of ex-
tensive portions Of Her Maiesty's domin-
ions as IL those dominions had been an
neXed TO one or the other Of them In
anticipation of these operations, the
South African Republic had been accum-
ulating for many years past military
stores on an enormous scale, which by
their character could only have been in
tended for use against Great Britain
your honors make some observations
of a negative character upon the object
with which these preparations were made.
do not think it necessary TO discuss the
questions you have raised. But the result
OF these preparations, carried on with
great secrecy has been that the British
empire has been compelled TO confront an
invasion which has entaled upon the
empire a costly war and the loss OF
thousands of precious lives. This great
calamity has been the penalty Great Brit
ian has suffered for having Of recent years
acquiesced TO the existence Of the two re-
pubhcs. In view OF the use to which the
two republics have put the position whieh
was given them and the calamities their
unprovokedtattaek have inflicted on Her
Matesty's dominions, Her Majestys gov
ernment can only answer your honors' tel
4. that fl,oss