The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-14

accomplish His work in us and in our
descendants.
We hesitated to make this dec1ara-
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
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
| evacuate 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 civil
ICED world, why we are fighting and
on what conditions we are ready to re-
store peace.
salisbury's Reply.
The Marquis of Salisbury's reply was
| as follows:
To the Presidents of the South African
| Republic and Orange Free State:
Foreign Office, March Ill have the
honor to acknowledge your honors
| telegram, dated March 5, from Bloem-
fontein, of which the purport is prac-
tically to demand that her majestys
government shall recognize the "incon-
| testable independence" of the South
| African republic and Free State as
sovereign international states" and
to offer on those terms to bring the war
| to conclusion.
In 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 certain very serious griev-
ances under which the British resi-
dents in South Africa were suffering.
In the course of these negotiations the
South African republic had, to the
knowledge of her majestys govern
ment, made considerable armaments
| and the latter had consequently taken
steps to provide corresponding REIN
forcements Of the British garrisons at
Cape Town and in Natal.
No infringements of the rights guar
anteed by the conventions had up to
that point taken place on the British
side. Suddenly, at two days notice.
the South African republic. after issu-
ing an insulting ultimatum. declared
|
Free State, with whom there had not
even been any discussion. took a SINH
lar step. Her majesty's dominions
were Immediately invaded by the two
republics. Siege was laid to three
towns within the British frontier, a
large portion of two colonies was over
run. with great destruction to property
and life, and the republics claimed to
treat the inhabitants Of extensive por-
tions Of her majesty's dominions as il
those dOminiOns had been annexed to
one or the other of them.
In anticipation Of these operations
the South African republic had been
accumulating for many years past mill
tary stores on an enormous scale,
which, by their character, could only
have been intended for use against
Great Britain.
| Your honors make some observati tions
Of negative character upon the OBJ
ject with which these preparations
were made. l do not think it neces-
sary to discuss the questions you have
raised. But the result of these prep
arations, carried on with great secrecy,
has been that the British empire has
been compelled to confront an knvas-
ion which has entailed upon the en-
pire a costly war and the loss of thou
sands of precious lives. This great
calamity has been the penalty Great
Britain has suffered for having of re +.
cent years acquiesced to the existence
of the two republics. In view of the
use to which the two republics have
put the position which was given them
and the calamities their unprovoked
attack has inflicted on her majesty's
dominions, her majesty's government
can only answer your honors' tele-
gram by saying they are not prepared
to assent to the independence either of
the South African republic or the
| Orange Free State