The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-11-07
PRESIDENT KRUGER
AND HIS STORY OF
THE BOER WAR
HIS MEMOIRS SOON TO BE PUB
LISHED IN WHICH HE CLAIMS
BRITAIN FORCED THE WAR ON
HIM.

LONDON, October 29.-It is under
stood that the "Kreuger Memoirs" of
which a first installment of extracts
has already been published in the Times
give narrative of the diplomatic as
poets of the Boer war and advise the
Beers as to the best policy to be pur-
sued after Kruegers death. A striking
feature of the memoirs Is a revelation
of the jealousies which aXisIe1 before
the war began between the inhabitants
of the Transvaal and the Orange Free
State and the Cape Colony Beers, which
prevented anything like a satisfactory
mutual understanding. Kruger takes
pains to prove that he did his utmost
to smooth matter over and prevent the
war, but the Beers Unborn antipathy to
foreign interference proved to be too
strong for him. Kruger closes his
memoirs with these words:
II am convinced that God will not
forsake his people even although it APP
pears so, and l acquiesce in the will of
the Lord, knowing he will not allow an
afflicted people to perish The Lord
hath all hearts in his hand and he
turneth them whithersoever he will"
This aspiration is clew to the con-
tents of the whole book, which is less a
source of historical information throw
ing new or striking light upon the
ument" of psychological value reveal
ing personal traits of the eX-President.
The memoirs are but a sketchy sum-
mary of past events, with Kreuger's
personal comments thereon.
The installment of the memoirs pub
lisched by the Times this morning con-
tains some interesting light concerning
Krueger's opinion of various men prom
inent in South African history. The ex-
Il Inv al 70 nnnf ir
Bartle Frere. He replied that he would
be quite willing to do so if he were told
which Frere it was. He declared he
knew four Freres, and explained this
remark by describing different aspects
of Sir Bartle Frere's character as pre-
scented by blue books, etc, saying some
of his characteristics We're friendly,
while others were inimical to the Boer
cause.
He describes the "Jesutical Cecil
Rhodes as 1.-The curse of South Africa"
He says: mo matter how base or con-
temptible be it lying, bribery or treach-
cry, all and every means were welcome
to him.
Lord Miner he describes as typical
autOcrat, beyond endurance" Kruger
declares that Colonial Secretary Cham
berlain was undoubtedly the late Cecil
Rhodes accomplice in the Jameson raid
and that Chamberlain appointed Lord
Miner British High Commissioner of
South Africa with the direct intention
of driving matters to extremes. This
tool of Mr.. Chamberlain" says Kruger
carried out his mission faithfully and
turned South Africa in to a Wilderness"
British policy in general the former
President of the Transvaal sums up in
the following sentences: Lies, treach-
cry, intrigues and secret instigations
against the governments of the repub-
lies, these have always been the distin-
gushing marks of English policies"
Kruger declares that the Trans
vaal National Union was under Cecil
Rhodes paramount influence from it's
very inception, and describes it as hav-
ing, from the very outset used the de-
mand for the franchise as a cloak for
designs against the republic. He de-
scribes how, after the Jameson raid
when the republic was practically de-
fenseless, he became convinced of the
necessity of preparing for war, and
gradually accumulated war materials
This was especially the case after the
British Parliamentary inquiry into the
matter, which Kruger says showed
Chamberlain's completely. Kruger
contends that his institution of reforms
in 1899 probably started Chamberlain
the crisis for fear of losing a preteXt for
war.
The author of the memoirs asserts
that the signatures to the petitions of
British subjects in the Transvaal
against the so-called grievances were
obtained by the greatest fraud, and
describes how the franchises are made
the question at issue until, writes
Kruger lin spite of all concessions,
all patience and the indulgence of the
republic, war broke out"
Kruger says that enormous de-
mands were then made upon his in
dustry; all persons came to him for
directions, advice or comfort. There
was not a night during which he slept
undsturbed, and when the burghers
grew discouraged, he went personally
to the commandos to restore the conf
dence of the combatants Kruger
writes that he looked upon the war not
so much as an event, but rather as a
9ipn Of tho times