The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-10-08
STRANGE RULE
COMES TO END
South RhodeSia Granted Right
of SeIf-GOvernment.
GOVERNED BY CORPORATION

South Rhodesia, to which Great
Britain has just granted the right of
self-3overnment, was expected to be a
second Rand, but a turned out q
South African Kansas, observes a bull
letin from the Washington headquar-
ters of the National Geographic soci-
ETY..
AT present South Rhodesia has a
government like none other in the
world. 1t discloses the only instance
where a great corporation, the Brit
ish South Africa company, governs a
vast and populous country in which a
considerable white population is &C.
lively engaged in business, politics and
farming. Hitherto and elsewhere that
form Of government has been reserved
for native, and usually backward, peO-
pies.
THE country's future status cam
up automatically at this time under
the charter granted by Victoria at the
behest of Cecil Rhodes, which charter
provided that at the end of % years,
or at the end of any subsequent ten
year period, it might be renewed, al
tered or annulled. The quarter century
expired in 1914, when it was reaf-
firmed. Discussions about action to be
taken in 1924 brought the announce
ment that the country is to join the
family of British states.
''It is hard to realize how far South
Africa has emerged from a dark con-
tinent' status and South Rhodesia's
rise has been Kaleidoscope. Should an
airplane land you today at its metropo-
lis Bulawayo, o might be invited to
lecture about o trip before a group
of gentlemen in evening dress. o
would find the conveniences of a mod
ern hostelry in Bulawayo's big hotel
Pain in HeadI Cut Off a Head!
stroll Town a broad, paved, cleo
tric-lighted street, however, and you
would encounter many natives, peace
able and nearly nude. Less than fifty
years ago the blood-thirsty Lobengula
held sway over the war-like Matabeles.
This crochety chief had an dea that a
pain could be cured by the sacrifice Of
a head from any nance passerby. |
with the fnesse of a William Penn, /
Cecil Rhodes bought the mining rights
to Lobengula's domain for a monthly
pension, a thousand rifles and some
ammunition. But the empire builders
most famous exploit occurred many
years later in this, his namesake colo
ny. After a native outbreak was put
down by Lord Plumer and 800 soldiers
the tribesmen took to the Matapos
mountains. Thither marched Rhodes,
with only two companions, unarmed,
and camped along the hills until he
had interviewed every important chief
and concluded a peace. For two
months he remained, surrounded by
fierce, blood-thirsty savages
while in these mountains on that
precarious mission Rhodes is sale to
have selected the site of his world
the view Of the world Between two
great boulders is the mountain-rob
grave with the simple inscription,
Here Lie the Remains of Cecil John
"a second grave, that of DR.. Jane
son. recalled the occasion when this
Slight, bald, mild little man led his
heroic handful of men against the
Matabeles at Bulawayo. There the
savage horde made their last stand
a series of forays against set
tiers. Jameson wired Rhodes for ad-
vice and got the laconic reply, Read
Luke, fourteen, thtrty-One.'
Jameson sent for a missionary
Bible and found this injunction. or
what king, going to make war against
another king, stitch not down first,
and consulteth whether he may bA
ILL., ~-a&A %nvn H1ro,ronrd 70 rrnAf him
that cometh against him with twenty
thousand Jameson wired back. In
All right 1 have read It,,
and then planted the British flag firm
ly in Bulawayo and crushed Loben-
power.
Everybody knows, in an academic
way, of South Rhodesia's great nat
ural spectacle, the Victoria falls.
Chilly r~eciting its dimensions-a mile
wide n from $50 to nearly $50 feet
high-mean little. The imaginative
might stand on Capitol Hill,
In Washington, ook at the Capdtols
dome and try to visualize a sheet of
water higher than that dome extending
all the way from he capitol, Town
Pennsylvania avenue, to the White
House.
Bridge Publicity Device.
Even then he would miss the roar
ten miles away and the feel
Of the mist which carries almost Al
far.
s'The many-sided Cecil Rhodes a
an eye for publicity. 1t was he who
Insisted that the bridge should be
built near enough to the falls SO the
spray would wet the cars AZ trains
rolled by. Engineers told him no.
. they told Hartman when he pro-
posed his wild scheme of a bridge
across Great Salt lake. Both Rhodes
Hartman had their way
sBut in his hope for South Rho
la.ia,s f,,t1nro Rhodes WAS migfAkpn-