The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-24
The British Public EndeavOrs
to Extract Hope
From the Visit of President
Schalk-Burger to Pretoria.
THROUGH THE LINES.
He and Lucas-Meyer Allowed to
Visit Orange River.
Hopes For Peace, However, Are
Not Strong in London.

Pretoria, March 24.-Acting President
Schalk-Burger, F. w. Reitz, ex-secre-
tary of state of the Transvaal. and Com
mandants Lucas Meyer and Krogh have
arrived here on a special train from
Balmoral, about so miles east of here.
They reached Balmoral under a flag of
truce. After a short stay here. they
proceeded for the Orange River col
ony.
KITCHENER'S PROPOSAL.
London, March 24.-The Associated
Press has good reason to believe that
Lord Kitchener in his interview with
Mr.. Schalk- Burger agreed to withdraw
the banishment proclan alton, issued
in September if Gen. DeWet and the
other Boer leaders surrendered.
LONDON IS DOUBTFUL
London, March 24.-There is little dis
position in London to regard the news
of the Beers visit to Pretoria, any too
hopefully. Official circles express doubts
throughout of the ability of Acting
President Schalk-Burger and the other
civilian leaders of the Beers to induce
such men as Gen. DeWet and DeLarey
to surrender. Possibly they think the
representatives of the TranSvaal gov
ernment are deSirouS of suing for peace
but there is Nothing to show any auth
manderS 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-
ton being that unless the British COM
mander-in-ch in South Africa, who is
on the spot and therefore most thor
oughly conversant with the situation,
recognized the possibility of fruitful re-
suits and believed in good faith of the
Transvaalers, he would not have per-
1nitted the visitors to continue their pill
grimage to the headquarters of their
Orange River colonies.
The same cautious reserve permeateS
the newspaper utterances and the COM
ment in well informed circles. Some
significance is attached to the fact that
in approaching Lord Kitchener Mr..
Schalk- Burger and those associated
with him have carried out to the letter
the advice given by the British foreign
secretary, Lord Lansdowne, in his re-
ply to the peace note of The Neither
lands government that the quickest and
most satisfactory means for arranging
a settlement would be by direct COM
municatiOn between the leaders of the
Beers and the British commander-in-
chief in South Africa There is no sign,
however, that the Transvaal mission re-
ceived any mandate from the fighting
generals, or that the latter are prepared
to recognize the authority of their act
ing president to negotiate terms of
peace. Presumably the latter satisfied
Lord Kitchener IndI ne naQ certain
clearly defined proposals to submit to
his ally, President Steyn. but the best
from South Africa depre-
Gates any belief in the likelihood of a
surrender of the burghers
still in the field on the order of the
Boer government. Almost the best to
be hoped for is that the present over
lures will so modify the situation as to
bring peace nearer.
The Westminster Gazette this after
noon urges that any peace proposal
should be regarded on its merits point
ing out that the ungenerous assump-
ton that the previous Boer overture5
were signs of weakness contributed
largely to the failures of the negotia-
tionS.
The Pail Mall Gazette would like to
think that the brave skilful command
ers, De Wet and De Larey have ar
rived at the height of moral courage
only attained by General Lee, and have
realized that the trueSt patriotism does
not consist in the prolongation of a
hopeless struggle. The paper confesses,
however, that the military situation is
not auspicious for such a change of
mind.
The st. James Gazette extracts from
the unillumina tive dispatches thus far
from Pretoria the theory that
Mr.. Schalk-Burger and the other MEM
bers of his party have possibly already
and have been released on
parole for the purpose of seeing Presi-
dent Steyn and General De Wet. The
news from south Africa ndd Il SeneFdlly
good effect on the stock exchange.
In the house of commons the war Sec
retary Mr.. Brodrick, announced that
fortnight ago Mr.. Schalk-B Burger inti-
mated to Lord Kitchener his desire to
be granted a safe conduct through the
British lines and back in order to see
Mr.. Steyn with reference to the possi-
bility of peace proposals Lord Kitchen
ar, with the consent of the government,
has acceded to the request. The an
of the war secretary was
received with cheers.
) The Hague, March 24-Acting Presi-
dent SchaIk- Burgers arrival at Pre-
toria was a complete surprise to the
Boer circles here. 1t was surmised thai
The step taken was connected with the
Instructions sent to Lord Kitchener to
the text of the Anglo
Dutch notes to the Boer leaders.
NAY NAME cAMpDEH