Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-05-06
Society of Beers Would Divide British
Voters and Control Colony,
BOTHA AND SHUTS ARE AFTER VOTES
New Election ~ y Give Manhood
spl OOlOnists,
AIRS OF CAPE COLONY
GoVERp
Nj ook Hopefully 20 Meeting
.sIative Council, Although
ocaI Conditions Have
~ Been Against Them.

blegram to The Bee The situation here,
so far as the relations between the home
government and the British colonists in
the Transvaal is concerned, has certainly
improved during the past few weeks. One
thing which had a marked effect in Sc
curing this result was the fact that the
last speech delivered by the under secre-
tary of state for the colonies was on
higher plane and breathed much more
statesmanlike spirit than his earlier ef /
forts. And 1t is believed that the eager
ness with which the Johannesburgers have
fastened to place favorable construction
on few encouraging statements will teach
Lord Elgin and his representatives that |
the British subjects of South Africa are |
loyal to the core and that, while they will !
always respond to kindly guidance, they |
will refuse to be driven
Het Volk followers are clearly anxious |
about the situation, because they have
been making desperate efforts to drive a |
wedge into the British vote, and political !
experience i'm other parts of South Africa |
/ notably in Cape Colony. certainly has a
| tendency to Justify their hopes OF sue
cess. 1t is a very curious phenomenon in
! the politics of this country that the Brit
/ ish party, though it has at times allied
itself with the Dutchmen opposed to Brit
ish rule and has repeatedly, even In times
| of crisis, broken up into conflicting sec
tions, stnl when actual hostilities have
broken out IL has been found to be pretty
generally loyal
An idea is prevalent that the new con-
stitutlon will provide for manhood suf-
frage. Accordingly General Botha and
Mr.. Smuts are bidding for support and
additional votes from the least desirable
element Of the town population by advo-
| ha ah ~ ha Iah
association. and they returned to the tout
ing system. AS far as the natives are
concerned. the system is indefensible on
moral and humane grounds. but it would
provide congenial occupation for a num-
Der OF persons otherwise unemployed to
whom manhood suffrage would give votes.
Smuts Attacks miner
In the same breath Mr.. smuts declares
that the treatment Of natives on the Rand
is bad and urges the extended employment
Of whites. Throughout the speeches there
is also a running attack on Lord Miner
and the mining industry. The mass Of the
new population IL ignored. and the issue
is represented II 1t were a question
of the domination of three or four capi-
talists whose chief crime is the fact that
they are thoroughly British. Hitherto the
, new population have been fighting on two
! thetic attitude of the home government
will enable them to attend exclusively to
? the political situation within the Trans
l vaal
Reports Indicate that great satisfaction
! has been caused at Cape Town by tho
3 recent announcement that the government
e will from July restore to their previous
r figures the salaries of civil servants, in
: Guiding railway employees. which had been
y lowered to meet the urgent demand for
: retrenchment i'm the cost OF government:
I The position has been this: The ministry
a which commands the majority on broad
: grounds has been seriously damaged by
untoward local influences. principally this
| retrenchment, and by what is known as
= the squabble OF the ports. There is rea-
son to believe that the latter also may
be arranged so that ministers look hope
fully to the coming session. Their pro-
posal with reference to meat duty for
Capetown win be stoutly resisted by the
free food section OF their own progressive
party. but will be carried by majority
o in Parliament.
Council May BE Troublesome.
. The legislative council may possibly be
= troublesome. but II win not give any vote
: involving a dissolution such as the rejec-
- tion OF supply. Incidentally II may be
u inferred from the fact that the ministry
10 expects the means wherewith to restore
u salaries that the new customs carry
y which at present is close secret, will
l. yield a definite increase OF revenue Al
p the annual meeting of the Chemical
u Metallurgical and Mining Society Of Soutl
" Africa, held this week. Mr.. Quinn. mayor
4 OF this city, in proposing the toast of thu
mining industry gave an admirable sum
'e mary OF the benefits conferred by the in
y. dustry on the Transvaal and South Afric,
IL in general. and indeed the whole world
n from the commercial point of view, Whicl
r as a large local merchant he special!
OF represents. Quoting from the last repor
es OF the government mining engineer a
he showed that the industry had in one yea
spent over t1O.OOO.OOO on new machinery
ed and over 10000 on new buildings
as while the value OF the stores bought, ha
o. Increased by over $3.50, 600 The fact tina
lis the total wage bill of the industr
lb amounted to over s45,O0o.OOO was an add
te tional proof Of the vital Importance OF i:
Sc prosperity to local merchants. The othe
an colonies of South Africa participated /
this vast business TO similar extent
as Mr.. Quinn showed by reference TO tn
q returns OF the earnings or the railway
. and the customs The enormous revenu
derived from the through trafhc. the bull
IL OF which was destined for the mining In
dustry, alone enabled the cape a Nats
to build and maintain their unremuners
tive branch lines. and 50 develop the
own natural resources. Mr Lionel Phi
70 lips. at the same banquet, in responding
ID a toast, denounced as a popular fallac
'es the statements that the Trsnsvaal mine
20 are owned by a few men, claiming thl
re- they were really owned by hundreds
ie- thousands Of shareholders
rot
he Gold for America.
err LONDON, May 5.-The United stat,
lu- bought Sl.OO6O00 OF American eagles fro
I'd. the Bank OF England today.
ad The cunard line steamer Umbria, whic
,se called from Liverpool for New York toe