Page:Last Will and Testament of Cecil Rhodes.djvu/187

Rh large interest in all the gold that will be found practically between Mafeking and Tanganyika in a highly mineralised country—(cheers)—and, therefore, if you are satisfied with the commercial, I really think you might give a help in the political. I do hope in the ensuing election you will do your best to see my clause carried, because you will do by that a really practical thing, and take the very first practical step that has been done towards the promotion of the Union of the Empire.” (Loud cheers.)

It is impossible to attempt to summarise the whole of Mr. Rhodes’s speeches here, but it is equally impossible to close this section without noticing in passing one of the most famous, and in some respects the most unfortunate of all his speeches, which he delivered immediately after the relief of Kimberley, on February 19th, 1900. It was in this speech that Mr. Rhodes made use of the famous phrase so constantly quoted against him, in which he spoke of the British flag as a “commercial asset.” This much misquoted passage occurs in a speech addressed to the shareholders of the De Beers Company. Mr. Rhodes had been using the resources of the De Beers shareholders without stint in the defence of Kimberley against the Boers. He was appealing to shareholders, many of whom, being French and Germans, regarded the whole British policy in South Africa with unconcealed detestation. His speech was primarily intended to reconcile them to an employment of the funds for political purposes to which they objected. He had also to deal with other shareholders, whose only concern was their dividends. This is quite clear from the opening passages of his speech. He said:—

“Shareholders may be divided into two classes—those who are imaginative and those who are certainly unimaginative. To the latter class the fact of our connection with the Chartered Company has been for many years past a great trial. Human beings are very interesting.