SOUTH AFRICAN- REPUBLIC. 



781 



nified its acceptance of the invitation, nor why 

 the Secretary of State for Colonies should expect 

 the five years' franchise to be granted when 

 the conditions attached to the offer were rejected, 

 nor why he should now declare the seven years' 

 franchise inadequate when he had proposed an 

 inquiry to determine whether it gave substantial 

 representation to Uitlanders. His Government 

 was still willing to have a joint commission, and 

 to consider amendments in the existing franchise 

 law. That it had ever agreed to the use of the 

 English language in the Volksraad he denied. 

 The Government of the' South African Republic 

 was ready and willing to co-operate in the com- 

 position of a court of arbitration, having the 

 firm intention of abiding by the convention of 

 1884, and desired to have it made clear what 

 were the definite questions that would be dis- 

 cussed at the proposed conference and that could 

 not be subjected to arbitration. If the British 

 Government, abandoning the idea of making new 

 proposals more difficult for the Transvaal and 

 imposing new conditions, would abide by its own 

 proposal of a joint commission, for which on its 

 acceptance by the Transvaal Government it had 

 substituted an entirely new proposal, it would 

 put an end to the tension, race hatred would de- 

 crease and die out, and the prosperity of South 

 Africa would be developed. On Sept. 22 Mr. 

 Chamberlain telegraphed to Sir Alfred Milner, 

 after another Cabinet council, that in view of the 

 refusal of the South African Republic to entertain 

 the offered settlement of the franchise difficulty, 

 the British Government was compelled to con- 

 sider the situation afresh, and to formulate its 

 own proposals. It had no desire to interfere with 

 the independence of the South African Republic 

 provided the conditions on which it was granted 

 were observed in letter and spirit, and was ready 

 to guarantee that independence against attack 

 by British or foreign foes, nor had it asserted 

 any rights of interference in the internal affairs 

 of the Republic other than those derived from the 

 conventions or which belong to every neighboring 

 government. On Sept. 26 Mr. Reitz sent a dis- 

 patch dealing with the petition of the Uitlanders 

 to the Queen, which would have received atten- 

 tion had it been presented to the Transvaal Gov- 

 ernment, although the grievances are mostly 

 chimerical. The petition emanated from British 

 subjects who were unwilling to comply with the 

 laws and institutions of the country under the 

 convention, from the South African League which 

 made a propaganda of race hatred, yet boasted of 

 its influence over the policy of the Imperial Gov- 

 ernment and really supplied false allegations and 

 exaggerated statements that received an official 

 stamp by being printed in British blue books and 

 repeated in the speeches of British ministers. As 

 far as the Republic was concerned, the South 

 African League was an organization having the 

 object to create revolution and undermine its in- 

 dependence ; and if the wrong impression that the 

 policy of the League was approved by the Im- 

 perial Government were removed, then the ten- 

 sion would disappear, the Afrikander people 

 would fear no longer that the interests of the 

 British Empire necessarily imply the destruction 

 of the republics and the enslavement of the 

 Afrikander population, and both sections of the 

 white race would return to the brotherly har- 

 mony that had set in before the treacherous corn- 

 plot of 1895 revived passions on both sides. 



The fresh proposals of the British Government 

 were not sent, but on Sept. 30 another Cabinet 

 council was held, at which it was decided to call 

 out the reserves. Troops were sent to South 



Africa from England and from India, and the 

 troops that had gradually been collected there 

 were massed on the Natal border at Ladysmith 

 and Glencoe. In answer to this movement, the 

 Transvaal Government called out a part of the 

 burgher militia and formed laagers near Laings 

 Nek, at Zandspruit and Volksrust. Commandant 

 Ben Viljoen assembled a force in the Orange Free 

 State near Van Reenen's pass, Commandant Piet 

 Cronje one on the Bechuanaland border, men- 

 acing Mafeking, and Kimbeiiey was threatened 

 by another commando. The British Government 

 recalled Gen. Sir William Butler, who as acting 

 High Commissioner had tried to settle the dis- 

 putes with the Boers amicably, informing the 

 Government in London that it would require two 

 army corps to conquer the Transvaal. In his 

 place Lieut.-Gen. Sir George S. White was ap- 

 pointed commander in chief of the forces, with 

 headquarters at Ladysmith. 



On Oct. 9 a note from the State Secretary was 

 delivered to the British agent, in which it was 

 set forth that, save in the article of the London 

 convention guaranteeing the right to enter, trav- 

 el, and reside in any part of the Republic without 

 being subject to unequal taxation, the British 

 Government has no rights with regard to the 

 Uitlander population; and that only a violation 

 of those rights would furnish grounds for diplo- 

 matic representations or intervention, while the 

 regulation of all other questions affecting the 

 Uitlander population were handed over to the Re- 

 publican Government, among which are included 

 those of the franchise and representation of the 

 people; that, although the exclusive right of the 

 Government of the Republic and the Volksraad 

 to regulate the franchise is indisputable, the 

 Government has found occasion to discuss the 

 franchise with the British Government in a 

 friendly fashion, but without recognizing any 

 right thereto on the part of the British Govern- 

 ment, and in framing the existing franchise law 

 those friendly discussions were kept in view; 

 that on the part of the British Government these 

 friendly discussions had assumed a more and 

 more threatening tone, creating tension in the 

 minds of the people of the Republic and of all 

 South Africa, and finally the British Govern- 

 ment had broken off friendly correspondence on 

 the subject and intimated that it must proceed 

 to formulate its own proposals for a final settle- 

 ment; that while friendly correspondence was 

 still going on an increase of troops on a large 

 scale was introduced and stationed on its borders 

 which the Government of the Republic, having 

 regard to occurrences in its past history, could 

 only consider as a threat against its independ- 

 ence, and in answer to an inquiry the High 

 Commissioner had made a mysterious reference 

 to possibilities which strengthened the suspicion 

 that the independence of the Republic was being 

 threatened, the promised proposal for a final set- 

 tlement meanwhile being withheld, although the 

 promise was repeated. The unlawful intervention 

 of the British Government in the internal affairs 

 of the Republic in contravention of the conven- 

 tion of 1884 and the extraordinary strengthening 

 of the troops in the neighborhood of the borders 

 had caused an intolerable condition of things to 

 arise, whereto the Government of the Republic 

 felt itself obliged, in its own interest and that of 

 all South Africa, to make an end as soon as pos- 

 sible and to press for its termination and request 

 the assurance that all points of mutual differ- 

 ence should be regulated by friendly arbitration 

 or whatever amicable way might be agreed upon ; 

 that the troops on the borders should be instantly 



