and Dr. Jameson. He may have hoped to win the presidency when Oom
Paul Krueger was put out of office, and very probably did not realize that
Mr. Rhodes and Jameson intended to annex the Transvaal to the English
Territory, after they had stolen it from the Boers.
It is, however, sure, from Dr. Jameson's own words, that the Raid was a
deliberate attempt on the part of these three men to rob the Boers of
their rights, and divide the spoil when the deed was done.
Both Cecil Rhodes and Dr. Jameson have been bold enough to state this,
cloaking their misdeed under a tale of gaining more lands for their
beloved sovereign, and both have had the courage to say that they only
made one mistake in the Transvaal matter, and that was to fail. Had they
been successful, they would have been forgiven.
The angry feeling between the Boers and the English is daily growing
stronger. It is feared that war cannot be prevented.
President Krueger is preparing for the worst by allying himself with the
Orange Free State, his neighbor on the east.
The treaty has just been made, and is waiting to be ratified by the
Congress of each country. It gives the citizens of both republics the
right of citizenship in either country, and binds each to fight for the
other in case of war.
Mr. Chamberlain, the English Colonial Secretary, is trying his best to
upset this treaty.
He declares that, according to an understanding made between England and
the Transvaal in 1884, the Boers have the right to govern their country as
they please, but they must not enter into any treaties or relations with
other countries, without the consent of England.
Mr. Chamberlain says that Her Majesty the Queen will insist upon the terms
of this treaty being obeyed.
Though England is taking such a very decided stand in the matter, she is
far from feeling at ease as to the result. It seems that Germany is taking
more interest in the affairs of South Africa than is pleasant to England.
It is feared that if war does break out in the Transvaal, Germany will
join with the Boers and the people of the Orange Free State in fighting
England.
Germany already owns a rich province in the neighborhood, and she has for
some time been sending arms and soldiers, able to teach the Boers the art
of war, across the continent, from her province on the West Coast, to the
Transvaal.
She has lately sent three thousand of her soldiers out to South Africa.
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