328 Morley Gives Away the Case for Peace [ T 899 



anyone expect? It was clear from the time that Gallifet took office 

 that there would be a compromise of the case, and that the compromise 

 would only be that Dreyfus should be found guilty and then pardoned, 

 and that be the end of it. As to our virtuous selves, we are of course 

 in a state of splendid denunciation of our neighbour's sin, this at the 

 very moment that we are pushing forward a new raid on the Boers, 

 certainly no smaller public iniquity, huge though the other may be. 

 I drove to-day to Malwood, but Sir William was away. Lady Har- 

 court would not hear of war with the Transvaal. 



' 16th Sept.— I have written again to Harrison about the Transvaal. 

 He answered me a week ago, urging me to write to the ' Times ' in the 

 same sense as I had to him, and as to Salisbury saying, ' It is well to 

 attribute virtue to a powerful man, even if he has it not. It must 

 make him doubt of it.' This I cannot do, as I am certain the ' Times ' 

 would not publish such a letter. I have explained to him how Buckle 

 is one of the gang acting with Rhodes, and how the Jameson Raid was 

 concocted, so to say, in the ' Times ' office, and how there is no true 

 peace party in England. The only difference between Liberals and 

 Conservatives in these cases is, that while both rob with the cry of 

 ' your money or your life,' the Liberals would like the money given 

 up peaceably, the others after a fight. I have told him that I do not 

 believe in the possibility of any change of opinion until we have got a 

 good beating ourselves, and that it is by no means impossible the Boers 

 may make a formidable stand. In any case it would be better for the 

 world that they should be destroyed fighting for their independence, 

 than that they should be bullied or cheated out of it. 



" iSth Sept. — Fernycroft. A telegram came from Madeline Wynd- 

 ham to say she was coming to spend the day here. 1 accordingly 

 met her at Southampton. On the way there I read in the papers the 

 Boers' refusal of Chamberlain's ultimatum. A very dignified document 

 it is, and one very difficult for our people to answer. Morley had al- 

 ready a day or two ago at a meeting in Manchester given away the 

 whole Liberal case against the war, publicly approving the Franchise 

 demand, made by our Government on the Transvaal, a mere red her- 

 ring which the Radicals have run to in full cry. The consequence is 

 that the whole English press to-day is with the Government and war 

 is certain." [N.B. The pretext of demanding the franchise for the 

 Outlanders in the Transvaal was a trap laid by Milner especially for 

 Morley and the Radicals who stepped into it precisely as was intended. 

 Once having approved the demand it was impossible for these with any 

 logic to disapprove the military steps taken to enforce the demand on 

 Kruger, and war became a necessity.] 



"21st Sept. — The news is all very ominous, indeed it will be a miracle 

 if war does not break out of itself on the frontier without further 



