The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-06
RHODES SUCCESSOR.
Albert Belt, EngIand's Richest Man,
Also an Empire Builder.
From the Philadelphia Press

NASD "h 0uAl0eFs
From the Philadelphia Press.
Who will succeed Cecil Rhodes as the
empire builder of Africa? The magnfff-
cent design to which he devoted his life
will not be permitted to lapse. The
question now is upon whose shoulders
will the mantle fall?
Every indication, according to many
New York financiers who have closely
followed the South African situation.
points to Alfred Belt as Rhodes sue
cessor. In the charter granted to the
British South African Company his adj
dress is given as 20 Holborn Viaduct,
London, merchant. He is the one man
who has possessed Cecil Rhodes con-
fidence at all times and has been his
| business partner practically from the
first entrance of the dead millionaire
into the African field.
More than this, Mr.. Belt has shared
heartily in all of Cecil Rhodes schemes
for the expansion of the British infiu-
ence, power and dominion in South Az
RIGA. He has Endorsed all of Rhodes
ventures, political and otherwise. The
evidence of this was their combined
work and unity of purpose in console
idating the diamond mines of South
Africa
III THIS Gigantic operation H0OQeB ana
Belt, who controlled the De Beers
Mines, were opposed by the late Bar
ney" Barnato and his partner, Woolfe
Joel, who controlled the Kimberly
mines. Rhodes had been laboring for
thirteen years to bring about a consol-
idation of these diamond mines. When
it came to the final point the four men
named gathered in little room in a
house in Kimberley.
MI. 1~ak L. H<.-s
and all night, without intermission, the
four planned and schemed, but with
out reaching any conclusion. The
stumbling block was Rhodes idea for
the expansion of the British empire.
In every proposition to this effect AL
fred Belt gave his hearty assent.
The greatest obstacle was Rhodes
demand that all the surplus of the
Consolidated Company should be de-
voted to extending the British Empire
further northward into the heart OF
Africa. Barnato and Jiel were business
men and not empire builders, and so
they fought the suggestion. But they
were in a hole, and they knew that
Rhodes had them at a disadvantage.
At o'clock the next morning Barnato
yielded and the De Beers Mines Conn
pany Limited, came into existence.
While it is no doubt possible that
Rhodes himself would have won the
fight for his contention unaided, yet
the staunch loyalty of Alfred Belt slim
ulated his purpose and aided in the
magnificent designs which he had
mapped out As loyal Briton and an
Afrieander of more years than Rhodes
he is regarded as the one man who
can take up the work, where Cecil
Rhodes has laid it down, with the cry
upon his lips: 80 little done, so much
to do.
Entirely separate and apart from
his position as a political factor Mr..
Belt is To-day the greatest financial
figure in the whole of the Dark Con-
tinent and possibly in the whole OF
England. Indeed. 1t has been said that
Alfred Belt is the wealthiest man in
the world. This of itself would give
his name commanding Importance en-
tirely outside his connection with the
late Cecil Rhodes.
He is man Of indomnitable energy.
great executive ability, stupendous
wealth, and answering loyalty to the
mother country. All this, combined
with his intimate personal knowledge
of Cecil Rhodes plans for expanding
his country's power in South Africa,
mark Alfred Belt as the only worthy
successor Of the "Uncrowned King Of
South Africa