The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-03-27
OPENHANDED AND RECKLESS
IN HANDLING MONEY.
CAPITALIST, POLITICIAN
AND MASTER OF MEN.

edge OF Africa began with Natal. where. al
the age Of lG-he was born in lS5S-he hac
| Joined hie eldest brother on L farm. Tha
brother lost his life two years later in II
elephant hunt. and Cecil returned to Eng
land and entered Oriel College. oxford. per
haps with a view TO becoming a clergyman
| like his father. who was rector of the las,
| Anglican town OF Bishops Stortford. But
| such a career was prevented by his father
| death and return of an old lung trouble
and young Rhodes found himself again al
| Cape Town. thrown upon his own resources
| for the interior and employed himself on
odd jobs at the 6iggings, till he obtained a
contract TO pump the mines and keep them
clear OF water. Claims were given him IN
] payment and he speedily acquired over a
| third of the diamond field. His influence
| as a capitalist was now begun, and he bent
\ his genius to achieve the scheme of ANAL
| Samating the mines. so as to control the
diamond output of South Africa
An anecdote has often been told OF the
| important meeting of diamond kings when
| the triumvirate of which the late Barney
1 Barnato and Cecil Rhodes were the active
partners settled the basis for an amalsa-
| nation Of the Kimberley mines and pre-
| pared a scheme for future extended oper-
| ations. His two partners In the scheme.
MIN , permps sgns h; s%s.s OF IioWe nIs o
Rhodes to have his way as to the disposal
of a certain surplus fund. In time the III
| tent.on developed Itself. The control Of the
put was restricted. the price in London or
the precious stones was enhanced. Rhodes
companies on the Rand
CONTROLLED CAPITAL
OF MANY MILLIONS.
As chairman OF the De Beers Diamond
Company which has frequently paid ~ per
cent. he controlled: a capital OF S9voe0.
Now as managing director Of the gold fields
of South Africa he could dispose IN reality
of S3O0O00CO or s40o0o.O0 in the Transvaal.
But there were more worlds to conquer not
SO very far away. and his agents were DUSTY
employed in prospecting in the vast territory
lying on the northern borders Of the Trans
vaal Concessions were obtained IRON tne
potentate of that region, Lobengula, and IN
lSSe q royal charter was obtained Tor the
British South Africa Company. with an au-
thorized share capital OF S" Soo.sS q, Sappi spiet
these gigantic operations. OF which Mr..
Rhodes was the heart and brains -.
With all this wealth at his disposal IL
was Impossible that he should escape the
imputation of being mercenary adven-
turer Yet. even those who have con,
from charging him with the mere love of
money-erabbing This is what. in an un-
guarded moment. he told an American who
asked him whether IL was true that specu-
iotine was TO him what gambling is to a
devotee of Monte Carlo:
Specializing, / have never speculated IN
my life. Perhaps, II I had should have
been bee a rich man couldn't. at all events.
have been much poorer Whatever the pub.
lie may say of me. / don't want II said
that ever soiled my hands with other peo-
II said i was poor Somebody to whom
you may tell that will inform you that I
nv reputation for .truthfulness. I'd like to
explain. a good deal of money has passed
through M hands. but il has net stayed
there 1 am thankful to say. As 1t accu-
mulated In the banks ] gave II out for the
benefit OK such political Interests as Seemei
to me the most worthy TO survive w men
~ -l.s 1..-- yv-f1 . Of
tect our schemes of consolidating British
power in Africa
SENT TO PARLIAMENT
EY DIAMOND MINERS.
Il want to go to Parliament. boys. was
a remark made By Rhodes one evening in
1883 at a friendly meeting of miners on the
diamond fields. The wish was willingly
gratified. owing to the confidence he had
found himself representing BarlSley West in
the Cape House Of Assembly. He soon won
n corresponding position in TINS arena to
that he already held In the Held OF capital.
Kimberley interests were naturally his first
consideration. and he had much to do with
the extension Of the Cape railway system
to the mining town. He was not an orator.
hut bold. blunt style OF speech suited the
Assembly. and his attack upon the SprtCg
ministry, for its inability to carry the rail.
way. which then went only to Beaufort
West. brought about the retirement Of Mr..
In 1850 Mr. Rhodes became Prime Minister
brilliant the Cape Parliament had ever had,
including Mr.. Rhodes. Sir James Swenright.
M Mr M M tsrsa
years later, Sir Gordon Sprigg and Mr..
Schreiner. the present Premier. young
Rhodes premiership lasted until the bomb
shell Of the Jameson raid on the last day
OF 1895 caused Mr.. Rhodes's resignation.
Rhodes could not but come into contact
with the other dominating personality OF
South Africa Paul Kruger. President Of
the South African Republic.
PRESIDENT KRUGER
TROUBLESOME OBSTACLE.
For time the Cape Premier strove to
establish 4 basis between the two States
for the general commercial DEVELOPMENT of
South Africa President Kruger chung tena-
ciously to the lines on which the Transvaal
State had been founded. The Outlanders,
whose numbers rapidly increased with the
growth of Johannesburg and Its industries.
We're treated from the first with jealous
suspicion. For a long time the proposal TO
An unwilling consent was only given when
Dutch capital came to the rescue.
In another direction the relations between
the chiefs of the two States had become
similarly strained. The Beers have never
shown themselves content to remain within
their own borders. and instances are many
in which the farmers trekked across the
frontier to carve out for themselves fresh
settlements among the surrounding native
tribes. Here again. the RepuDuc found IL
self restricted during the early days OF Mr..
Rhodess premiership of the Cape. Mr..
Rhodess agents forestalled Beers. Portu-
guese and Germans In obtaining concessions
In the vast country, now known as Rhode
Sia. lying to the west and north of the
Trsnsvaal. Mashonaiand was settled by the
Chartered Company, whose administrator.
Doctor Leander Starr Jameson. made
reputation by preventing an incursion OF
Beers across the Limpofo River. With no
friendly eye the Transvaal President saw
the Chartered Company-which. In truth.
was but another name for Cecil Rhodes
consolidate its power by the crushing Of
King Lobengula and the conversion of his
kraal into a new South African capital.
JAMESON's RAID
ON JOHANNESBURG.
Such was the state of affairs when the
swelling discontent~of the Johannesburg
Out;anders came rapidly to head In the
autumn of 1855 An agitation had been
smoldering for two or three years: Petit