The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-13
CECIL J. RHODES AND
 HIS IMPERIAL IDEA"
To Him the Amassing of Colossal Fortune Was
 Merely the Means to Aid in Cain ing An End.

Rhodes both entered. Mir Kruger was
 defeated by his English rival. It was
 then that Joubert wrote to Lobengula, the Matabele chief in manner when
 was forgotten later on by his English
 Nov you must have heard that the
 English took away our country. the Transvaal, or, as they say. annexed it. We then talked nicely for four years, and begged for our country. But no; when an Englishman once has your property in his hand, then he is Ike a. monkey that has it's hands full of pump kin seeds-if you don't beat him to death, he will never let go; and. then all
 our nice talk for four years did not help us at aIl.'
 There is no occasion to give details of- the story: 1t is too recent. MT. kru. ger was headed off. and the effective occupation of Mashonaland was brought about MT. Rhodcs's singular capacity in the choice of men. which is charac- teristic of all the greatest men in his tory. was remarkably shown In the choice of his three encoys. Mir. C. D.
 Rudd, Mir. Mcguire and Mir. F. R. I Thompson. Months of negotiation were consumed. but at last the concession was obtained sNd was sealed with the
 Royal Elephant Seal of Lobengnla. In 1888 MT Rhodes presented MT. Par
 nell with tho sum of Eloooo. For this act the Unionists have never forgiven him. His own explanation of the gift
 Is contained in the following words: 'I gave MT. ParneU S cause 4l0HBn
 because in it believe lies the key to
 the Federal system. on the basis of perfect home rule in every part of tho
 empire and in it also the imperial tie begins"
 The Chartered Company.
 The next move of Mir. Rhodes was the creation of tho great company which has played so conspicuous a part in South African politics since 1889. At that time
 Mir Rhodes had at his back powerful 6ylan nni riein he Ilo Company. the Goldhfds of South Afri-
 ca. Mir. Belt and some powerful capital ists in London. The business of ohtan- | ing a charter from the British govern abstention of the Irish members in the House of Commons from any adverse action, Whether this neutrality of the | Irish politicians towards Mir. Rhodess great scheme was fin any sense due to l the gift of Gl0.00o. which MT. Parnell | had received from his hands year be- | fore. it is impossible to say. The fact, | however remains recorded in history | that in 1888 the Irish party received G10.- | Ooo from Mir. Rhodes. and in 1889 Mir. Rhodes obtained charter which was | Evidence which canot be set forth here
 show that Mr. Rhodes's object I in establishing the Chartered Com | misfortune was that many of his asso- ciates were both sordid and unscrupu- l lous. His policy was the union of South | Africa and he hoped to use the territory l cofonized through his enterprise and | foresight and called after his name a | lever for the plishment of that l purpose. He hoped tn work toward the union of South Africa through a united native policy. through customs union. and railway. postoffice and fiscal scheme of common policy. He perceived | then, more clearly than his contempo- l raries, that tho union of South Africa involved pf | icy of isolation for the republics. His plan then was to work through the evo- lut1on of nations anu racial tendencies. Of increased immigration, and the work ing of the natural laws that govern the | movement of peoples. He believed that the domination of an oligarchy of ig-
 norant Dutch peasants was doomed. and at that time RhodtSian statesmanship never contemplated hastening the pace by force of arms At this period MT. Rhodes was at his best. He had made Mdshonaland: he had conquered the Ma ] tabeleland, and in the course of the lat ter operation MT. Rhodes took his life in his hands and dealt personally with the unbeaten chiefs. During the inter- view he could have been assegaied with out the least trouble by the barbarians
 in whose power he placed himself. Few statesmen in history hace performed | fined act than that of Mir. Rhodes when he brought the Matabele war to an end at the risk of his life and career. A considerable portion of MT. Rhodess | faults and failings, whatever they may 1 be- will be oondoned in history by his
 unselfish galantry on this occasion. He | was weaponless. The meeting is de- scribed in the Life before referred to as | follows:
 MT. Rhodes greeted them in Zulu. and | then long and animated discussion fol- | lowed. The chiefs declared their eriev- ances, and the white envoy told them
 how he would have those grievances re-
 moved. Then Mir. Rhodes came to the | point briefly: All that is of the past Now for the future-is it peace or is it
 war| The chiefs each lifted stick and
 threw it down at the white mans feet.
 saying See. this is my gun; throw
 1t down at your feet and this is my assegai followed by the same gesture.
 we are all here today. We give you one word: it is peace. The war Is over was the chiefs final assurance.
 His Future.
 In 1895. Mir. Rhodes had been Premier of the Cape Colony for five years He had galned by his policy d vast territory for
 the Empire. He had done more. Ger man ampltion and designs had been baf- ned by MT. Rhodes single handed The increasing wealth of the mines enabled
 MT. Kruger to utilize the funds thus un- expectedly placed at his disposal for wild dreams of an independent republic. The duel between the two men confined. The iron misrule of Krugerism exercised on British subjects had driven the English inhabitants of the TransvaaI almost 10 frenzy. Even the High Court of Justice was prostituted to the will of the Pres ldent. Corruption was ri.e. Insurrccti ion was contemplated and MT. Rhodes was approached. He then made the great mis- take of his life by joining in events that eliminated in tho Jameson Raid. As MT l1ofmeyr. his former friend, said in a let ter to MT. T. N, De Nilliers-"Mr. Rhodes did not in the matter of the Jameson in road conduct himself in such a manner as one had reason to expect from the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony" The l TfRAl lF lxE- verse to MT. Rhodes In this matter. not | so much for the blundcring incapacity which sent Dr. Jameson and 800 or 500 men to attack an armed republic. which | is not yet quelled after long months of war with Great Britain, but because of l inc disloyalty to Lord RoSmead. the Gov ernor of the Colony. which was apparent | from the evidence of Sir Graham Bower and others. There is no occasion to say anything about the Jameson Raid. It is | too recent. But it Is a pity, in the inter-
 ests both of MT. Rhodes and of the em- | plre, that he was not stripped of his | Privy Councillorship and sent to prison.
 If these things had been done England could have dealt with the armng of the | Transvaal that took place after the Raid | with a free hand. As 1t is. the condona- | tion of Mir Rhodes's fault necessitated | and caused the pitiable paralysis of the | British government between 1895 and 1899 | Mr. Rhodes. purged through prison and | the loss of his Privv Councilorshp could have regained the latter. and become the | daring hero of millions.
 | The question naturally ariscs--Is there
 a place in tho empire for Mir. Rhodes in | the future? Prolonged study of his ca | iDd,tces mo In believe that for f11tI~I,