The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-08-11
8EaNIEG AID TRAasVAAI.
Nterent eisnailon Viewed an tha
N9hf Sc Their Past Friend-
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HHE#Z "a A2-AaAHAMa NEa4 &AAAENN W
England BY MOST persons in Eng
land the German interest in the
Lransvaal is regarded as beginning
with the empeHnessage to Presi-
dent hruger at the time Of the raid,
but it really existed, and in very SUB
stantial form, some time previous to
that. To understand the true inward
ness Of these relations it is necessary
to 60 back to 1895. In November OF
that year Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain,
thens as now, secretary Of state for
She colonies, was Che principal guest
at a banquet given by the agent gem
eral in London for Natal to celebrate
the completion Of the railway extern
sion from Natal to johannesburg.
Among the other guests was the late
Mr.. Beelaerts Won Blokland, diplomat
ic representative in Europe Of the
South African Republic. He was pres
emit and spoke in his official capacity,
no one taking exception or raising OBJ
Jections, which proved the recognized
right Of the republic to be represented
and have a foreign policy, subject only
under the London convention to the
six months condition of approval or
veto by the British crown. On Mr..
Won Blokland's death he was succeed
ed by DR.. Leyds with identical powers.
The key to the political relations be-
tween Berlin and Pretoria Is to be
found in the anti4German campaign.
in a certain part Of the South African
press, inaugurated in 1890 when Mr..
Rhodes first became premier Of Cape
Colony, From that day to the present
it has never ceased. In 1894, before
the raid, the Kimberley Advertiser
printed a letter in which the German
position was exposed at considerable
length. 1t attracted much attention
at the time and one part Of it seems
worth reproducing. 1t says:
Though the interests of Great
Britain in South Africa come first, the
interests of Germany undoubtedly
come second. Germany has already
obtained a very substantial footing on
the west coast. German merchants
hold a very important place in the
commercial community in Cape Town,
in Port Elizabeth and in Durham. A
German line Of steamers has for some
time been trading between Europe
and South Africa, and there can be no
doubt whatever that this line of
steamers was established very largely
with q view to the trade which might
be expected to gravitate toward
DelagOa bay on the opening of the
railway between that port and Johan-
nesbUrg- Hence Germany has most
real and legitimate interests in South
Africa in general, and in the relations
between the T%ransvaaI and Delagoa
bay in particular"
With regard to German influence
Che same letter points out that while
Germany vas represented at Pretoria
by a most taetful and able diplomat
lst, Herr Won Herif, now German CON
sui general at Milan in Italy, where
he was met by the T~ransvaal dele
gates recently sent over to Europe
and this country, British interests
were intrusted to Sir j. de Wet, an
agent entirely devoid Of tact and vio-
lently prejudiced against the govern
ment to which he was accredited. He
was generally regarded as the agent
OF the Rhodes party and believed to
be bent on bringing about some act Of
British intervention in DeIagoa bay
hostile to the Transvaal and preiu-
dicial to German interests. In 1891
it was conclusively shown that the
Chartered company had sought to stir
up a native rebellion against the Por-
tuguese authorities with the object of
bringing about British intervention
and the seizure Of the Delagoa bay
territory and railway with a view to
controlling the trade of the Transvaal
in the interest of Rhodesia and the
Cape Colony. The Transvaal govern
ment was in a serious dilemma. 1t
could not appeal with n advantage
TO the British government, for it was
guided by the then high commission
err Sir Henry Loeb, and he in turn
by Mr.. Rhodes. 1t was at this juno
ture that the German government
sent a cruiser to DeIagoa bay and
made representations in London that
led to the formulating of an Anglo
German agreement for the mainten-
ance of the status quo at the Portu-
guese seaport.
~ 6A-SC AAAAA uAAO 4G4dbAUu6 awe |
Germany and the TransvaaI have been
of the best. In January, 1895, Presi-
dent Kruger expressed his gratitude
to Germany on the occasion of the en-
peror's birthday at a banquet given
by the German consul general; and on
The failure of the jameson raid the
emperor cabled his congratulations to
the president. If in the interval the
German interest in the TransvaaI has
slackened, and at Berlin its absorp-
tion by England is looked on with
equanimity, it can only be because
Germany has received an equivalent in
some other direction. Should this be
the case it must come out in the set
clement made by the British govern
ment after the complete subjugation
of the two republics, which no other
government seems disposed to pre-
vent.
small Boys Ready Answer.