Arizona republican., 1901-12-08
EFFORT FOR PEACE
Better Terms to Be Offered
 the BOerS
Official Announcement Expected From Chamberlain - The King Wants His Coronation Year Marked by Peace.

London. Dec. Tt is becoming clear CT daily that the pendulum which seems to control the vaeillating policy of :ne British government has again taken a wide swing, and every effort is now being made to induce the Boers to ac- cept easy terms of peace.
 The official declarations of only few weeks ago that unconditional sur render would alone be accepted and that no shred of independence would be permitted to the Transvaal, are now explained to mean something very diff ferent from the obvious signiiica ton of these simple words. The government has, in fact. let it become known that it is quite ready to enter into negotia- ticas with any responsible Beer com mander on the basis of the concession of ultimate local representative self government.
 The greatest significance of this an noIncement lies in it's reception by the British public. There has not been q single jingo protest. The extraordinary volte face Of the ministry has been all lowed to D3sS almost without comment The silence is so general that one is almost Compelled to believe it due to one of those quiet official intimations given to the unionist press in moments or national emergency.
 There is no sign whatever of the spontaneous popular protest which such suggestion would have aroused only year or so ago. The govern ment. if it wished to convince public opinion in favor of bringing the war to a close on any terms short Of conceding independence to the TransvaaI. has reason to be satisfied with the effect or non-effect of it's really momentous an- nouncement.
 Next. probably. will come a definite declaration in the same direction. The impression prevails in authoritative quarters that at the Guild Hall next week. when the city council entertains the prince Of Wales at luncheon, AIr. Joseph Chamberlain will make a speech of the first importance. stating in clear language the terms which the government is prepared to give to the Boers.
 The earl Of Rosebery will propose the toast of Prosperity of the king, and that fact itself is Of considerable sig nificance. His majesty. it is well known. is extremely desirous Chat his coronation year should be ushered in by the establishment Of peace through out the empire and if MT. Chamberlaia should announce notifications in the terms designed to placate the Boers. the credit should be given to his royal master.
 Some ultra-sdnguine prophets declare that Mr. Chamberlain will make public the satisfactory conclusion of peace ne gotiations now actually iH progress: but no ground can be discovered here for that extreme optimism. There is reason to believe. however, that the government for a month past has been fslt- to the knowledge of the Boer leaders that peace is available on far easier terms than previous utterances- of Brit ish officials have indicated. Informa- tion both from Holland and South Af- rica points in this direction.
 One is almost forced to believe that the conciliatory attitude of Great Brit ain has been adopted just seventeen months too late. Such terms might have been arranged after the fall Of Pretoria, but the Boers remaining in the field now have nothing further to lose and they are absolutely irreconcil- ables. On the other hand the British government cannot be criticized for it's delay, because public opinion in June. 1900. would have refused to approve the terms to which it now gives a grudging consent.
 So it has been since the beginning of this unhappy and unnecessary war. Compromise has been impossible for one side or the other at every stage. There are those sanguine enough to be- teve that terms sufficiently liberal might now be offered to induce the bulk of the Boer comDatants to aban- don the struggle. Next month. possibly the next few days, may settle this point.
 At all events if Great Britain is able to show that a really generous offer has been refused it will go far to mod crate public opinion abroad toward this country and might justify more strin- gent measures for bringing the war to a conclusion, which would be the only alterna five cOlIrSe nnan fn the Rrifiel,