The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-01-03
SECRET TREATY MADE.
Negotiations Between Great Brit
ain, Germany and Portugal.
CEDE DELAGOA BAY,
Possibility that President kruger
will Now Declare War ON
Portugal.

New York. Dec 2S-A dispatch to the
Herald from Berlin says: The LokaI An
zeiger publishes the contents of the Ger
man English-Por portuguese secret treaty.
This double treaty will have executive
force as soon as the Swiss jurists,
Messrs. Blaesi, Hensler and Goldau have
given a decision in the Delagoa arbitra-
tion. The decision, it is expected, will be
given in January or February and will
probably be in favor of England, in
which case Portugal must pay to Eng
land and America an indemnity OF FL
800, 600 sterling.
England obtained in 1891 from Per
tugal the right of presumption in Delagoa
bay. The cession Of Delagoa bay to Eng
land may. therefore, be expected in
March next.
War with Portugal.
1t is possible that President Kruger
may now declare war on Portugal and
attack Delagoa at once.
In order TO prevent any interference by
France or Russia, England concluded a
secret treaty with Germany regarding
the complete partition of Portuguese colo,
RIAL possession. Germany is to receive all
Portuguese possession in Asia-that is to
say Timor, Goa, Damaio, Macao, and
Diu, 10000 square miles OF territory and
l,OUO,UUO inhabitants.
Germany further receives in Africa all
Portuguese territory north of Mozam-
bique except strip of land three miles
wide for Cecil Rhodes Trans-Affican
railway. For this the German govern
ment will pay Portugal 25,000,000 marks
The surprising part in the statement of
the Lokal Anzeiger is that it refers, to
ed at the foreign office that the treaty
only refers to Africa and did not refer to
Asia. 1t must, however, be remembered
that the Lokal AnZeiger was in a position
to publish the Samoa treaty twenty-four
hours before the official publication took
place. q
England receives the remaining At
rican possessions of Portugal, which con-
tain 2,OUO.OO0 square kilometers and
have 13.00OO00 inhabitants. s
s Portugal Consents.
The consent OF Portugal to this ar
rangement has already been obtained in
principle. s
eThe Lokal Anzeiger declares it has
news from such a source that no de
menti is possible. 81:
~ That Great Britain will ultimately be-
come the p0Ssessor of Delagoa bay has
long been expected. 1t has been known
for some years that negotiations for the
transfer have, with more or less secrecy,
been carried on between Portugal and
Great Britain for a transfer. Domestic
political considerations have deferred
+ Portugal from parting with one of her
most valuable possessions. 1t would not
be surprising If Great Britain, under
stress of present circumstances, acted up
ON the negotiations Of the last few wears
and pressed for the execution of the I'M
Outstanding between the two countries.
The present town of LourenZo MARQUEE,
not infrequently termed Delagoa bay,
n TO. fra1sa u Il hn
site of an old village named in honor of
the navigator who in 1544 planted the
first Portuguese flags there. The harbor
has been compared with two Of the finest
in the world, Rio and Sydney, and prop
erly developed it would become the mari
time port Of the whole of the basin of the
.Limpopo river and of the states occupy
ing the ateau CT South Africa. Great
Britain frem 1920 onward disputed the
claims of Portugal to the ownership of
Delagoa bay and based its own claims
upon an occupation by the Dutch OF
which the revers;on fell TO her. Capt.
Owens carrying out surveys, in 1923, OBJ
tanned concession from the native
chiefs concerned in its shores.
Decided by Arbitration.
The dispute was ultimately referred to
the arbitration OF the President of the
French republic, Marshal MacMahon,
whose award in 1875 was given in favor
of Portugal. Britain, however, did not
relinQuish her aims, and she conSOled her
self for the loss of the actual ownership
by obtaining right of pre-emption UNI
der the -tnglo-P Portuguese agreement Of
1891
Under this instrument Great Britain
and Portugal agreed that in the event
of lone of the two powers proposing to
part with any of the territories to the
south OF the Zambesi the other shall be
recognized as possessing a preferential
right to the territories in question, or
any portion of them
This is held to give to Great Britain
the right of prescription whenever Portu-
gal is in such financial straits as to need
to sell her rights in the bay. She was
said to be in such difficulties last year
and only domestic political considerations
in Lisbon then prevented her acting upon
the agreement
Not Credited in Paris.
Paris, Dec. 2S-The publication by the
Lokal Anzeiger of Berlin of, the secret
treaty between Germany, Portugal and
Great Britain, providing for the partition
of the Portuguese colonies, meets with
no credence in official circles here. A
foreign office official said to a representa-
tive of the Associated press that their
advices from Portugal and Germany left
no doubt that the publication was large
ly invention. They could not believe
Portugal would sign a treaty stripping
herself of her colonies and SO far-reach-
ing and harmful to Portugal.
Notwithstanding the denial of the
French foreign office, it is believed in
other quarters that an agreement be-
tween Great Britain and Germany may
exist outside Of the understanding ar
rived at between them this year as an
outcome OF the negotiations to build a
telegraph line connecting Capt Town
with Cairo.
Berlin, Dec. 2S--A German official
agency issued a statement last evening
to the effect that the assertions of the
Lokal Anzeiger were arbitrary and err
roneous guesswork." Official circles in
Berlin describe the statements made as
s1quite inaccurate.
,Th. News in Washington.
Washington, D. O., Dec. 29.-On the
subject of the possible assumption of au-
thority over Delagoa bay by Great Brit
ain the state department is not inclined
to venture an opinion. Not word con-
corning such an intention has been re-
ceived officially or otherwise. 1t has been
known in diplomatic circles for over a
dozen years that England has been ne