Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1902-03-25
MORE OVERTURES
LOOKING TO PEACE
Visit of Boer Enjoys to
British In Pretoria.
ENGLISH NEWSPAPER COMMENT
Official Circles Express Doubts of the
Ability of SchaIk- Burger and Civil
ian Leaders to induce Generals De-
Wet and OeIarey to Surrender.

Wet ana OeIarey TO surrender.
disposition in London to regard the
news of the Boer governments visit
to Pretoria any too hopefully. Official
circles express the doubts held
throughout of the ability of the acting
president, Schalk Burger, and the 9th
er civilian leaders of the Beers to in
duce such men as General DeWet and
Delarey to surrender. Possibly they
think the representatives of the Trans
Vaal government are desirOus of suing
for peace, but there is nothing to show
that they have any authority to i'm.
pose submission on the commanders
in the field. The most hopeful sign
they see is the announcement that
Lord Kitchener permitted Mr.. Schalk.
Burger and his companions to proceed
to the Orange River colony, the conten-
tion being that unless the British com
mander-in-chief in South Africa, who
is on the spot and therefore most
thoroughly conversant with the situa-
ton, recognized the possibility of the
fruitful results and believed in the
good faith of the Transvaalers, he
would not have permitted the visitors
to continue their pilgrimage to the
headquarters of the Orange River colo
ny allies. The same cautious reserve
permeates the newspaper utterances.
Some significance is attached to the
fact that in approaching Lord Kitch-
ener, Mr.. Schalk-Burger and those as
sociated with him have carried out to
the letter the advice given by the Brit
ish foreign secretary, Lord Lans-
| downe, in his reply to the peace note
of The Netherlands government, that
the quickest and most satisfactory
means for arranging settlement
would be by the direct communica-
tion between the leaders and the Brit
ish commander in South Africa. There
is no sign, however, that the Transvaal
mission received any mandate fighting
general or that the latter appeared to
recognize the authority of their acting
president, Mr.. Schalk- Burger, to negot
tiate terms for peace. Presumably the
latter satisfied Lord Kitchener that he
had certain of the clearly defined pro!
pOsals to submit to his ally, President
Steyn, but the best information from
South Africa deprecates any belief In
the likelihood of q simultaneous sur
render of the burghers still on the
field on the order of the Boer govern.
ment. Almost the best to be hoped for
is that the present overtures will SO
modify the situation as to bring peace
nearer.
The Westminster Gazette this after
noon urges that any peace proposals
should be regarded on it's merits, point
ing out that the ungenerous assump-
tiOn that the previous Boer overtures
were signs of weakness contributed
largely to the failures of the negOtia-
tions.
The Pail Mall Gazette would like
to think that the brave, skillful COM
manders, DeWet and Delarey, have ar
rived at the height of moral courage
once attained by General Lee, and
have realized that the truest patriot
ism does not consist in the prolonga-
tion of hopeless struggle" .
The paper confesses, however, that
the military situation is not auspicious
for such change of mind. The st.
James Gazette extracts from the un.
illuminative dispatches thus far re-
ceived from Pretoria the theory that
Mr.. Schalk-Burger and the other mem
bers Of the party have possibly al
ready surrendered and have been re-
leased on parole for the purpose of
| seeing President Steyn and Gneral
DeWet. The news from South Africa
had a generally good effect on the
| stock exchange.
In the house of commons today the
war secretary, Mr.. Broderick, announc.
ed that fortnight ago Mr. Schalk-
Burger intimated to Lord Kitchener
his desire to be granted safe con.
duct through the British lines and
back, in order to see Mr.. Steyn with
reference to the possibility of peace
proposals. Lord Kitchener, with the
consent of the government, has acced.
ed to the request.
The announcement of the war secre-
tary was received with cheers.
AARON FRENCH DEAD.