ence the old Free
Stater already mentioned obtained several prolonged interviews with the
hon. State Secretary Reitz, at Pretoria, with the object of dissuading
the Transvaal Government from conferring with Sir Alfred Milner while as
yet no sufficient friendly _rapprochement_ had been reached and no
advance had been made as to mutually approved bases upon which to
confer. He strongly deprecated the idea of granting "full" burgher
rights to Uitlanders, but held that their needs and wishes could be met
by allowing their interests to be amply represented without impinging
upon the special privileges which should be reserved for the burgher
status proper. He was finally invited by Mr. Reitz to submit his scheme
in writing, with the promise that it should receive careful
consideration. That old Free Stater complied, and supplied President
Krueger with a duplicate separately as well. The scheme ran in substance
as follows:

"_Modus vivendi_"

The population of the Transvaal to be divided into two classes, pending
the continued presence of the large floating portion consisting of
Uitlanders who derive their subsistence from the mining industries,
viz.:--

1st Class.--The fixed or burgher estate.

2nd Class.--The floating or alien estate or Guests.

The 1st Volksraad to be elected by burghers only, and to represent the
highest legislative and administrative powers.

The 2nd Volksraad to be elected by Uitlanders and burghers, and to be
vested with all such reasonable legislative powers as will cover the
domestic, industrial, and vocative interests of both burghers and
guests.

The Uitlander franchise shall be limited to representation in the 2nd
Volksraad, and be extended under usual fair conditions of eligibility to
all white persons after two years' residence, retrospectively reckoned.

Aliens may be admitted to full burgher rights and vote for 1st
Volksraad, President, and Commandant-General, after five years'
residence, if approved of by two-thirds of the burghers of his ward,
possesses landed property to the value of L1,000, and has not been
convicted here or elsewhere of any degrading crime.

Members of both Volksraads and for public service shall be eligible
without respect of creed.

The exploitation of mines shall be subject to a tax of 25 per cent.,
reckoned upon the yearly net profits, such revenue to be applied at the
discretion of the 1st Volksraad solely for the benefit of the burgher
estate--school