e guerilla leaders, both by
providing intelligence of the plans of the British military
authorities, and by forwarding supplies of arms and ammunition, until
the time (October 9th) when these towns were placed, like the rest of
the Colony, under martial law.

In these circumstances Sir W. Hely-Hutchinson, acting on the advice of
his ministers, prorogued the Cape Parliament from time to time, until
the actual termination of hostilities made it possible for the
inhabitants of the Colony to return to the normal conditions of their
political life. As, however, the provision for the ordinary cost of
administration made by the Colonial Parliament in its last session did
not extend beyond June 30th, 1901, it became necessary to provide for
the expenditure of the Colony after this date by the issue of
Governor's warrants, under which the Treasurer-General was authorised
to pay out funds in anticipation of legislative authority. This
technically illegal procedure, by which the authority of the Governor
was substituted temporarily for that of Parliament, was advised by the
Cape ministers and sanctioned by Mr. Chamberlain. In this way
provision was made for the financial needs of the Government; and
when, after the war, the Cape Parliament was able to meet again, the
necessary bills of indemnity, legalising these acts of the Governor
and acts committed by the military authorities in the administration
of martial law, were passed in due course.[279]

[Footnote 279: The action of Sir W. Hely-Hutchinson was not
without precedent. See Cd. 903, pp. 57 and 67, and p. 123,
_supra_.]

[Sidenote: Breakdown of government.]

The only alternative course was the suspension, or abrogation, of the
Cape constitution by the Home Government. In view of the appeal for
the suspension of the constitution made to Mr. Chamberlain a year
later, and refused by him--an appeal which was endorsed by the
judgment both of Lord Milner and Mr. Cecil Rhodes, and supported by
the majority of the loyalists of both nationalities--it is interesting
to observe that petitions addressed to the Governor in June, 1901,
reveal a considerable body of opinion in favour of the proposal at
this date. These petitions came from the British inhabitants of the
small towns in the Eastern Province, since, in the vigorous language
of one of the petitioners, "it's those who live in small towns that
feel the Bond's iron heel." And the same correspondent