Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/123

 1899.] The South African Blue Book. [115

he had had no communication with Mr. Ehodes on Transvaal affairs.

The South African Blue Book which appeared at this time (June 14) contained several interesting papers. In a telegram, dated May 5, Sir A. Milner described the position of the Out- landers. The present crisis was, he said, largely due to the killing of the workman Edgar by the Boer police. Edgar, in resisting an arbitrary arrest in his own room, was shot dead, and this incident precipitated the struggle for political rights. After denying very emphatically that the movement was artificial or the work of capitalists, the High Commis- sioner declared that "the case for intervention is over- whelming," and insisted that the proposition that things would right themselves if left alone was untenable. " The spectacle of thousands of British subjects kept permanently in the posi- tion of helots, constantly chafing under undoubted grievances, and calling vainly on her Majesty's Government for redress, does steadily undermine the influence and reputation of Great Britain, and the respect for the British Government within the Queen's dominions." Mr. Chamberlain's despatch relating to the Outlanders' petition to the Queen was also published. After dwelling upon their grievances with re- gard to the police, and dealing with the Edgar incident, Mr. Chamberlain explained the policy of the Government. " They are most unwilling to depart from their attitude of reserve and expectancy ; but having regard to the position of Great Britain as the paramount Power, and the duty incumbent upon them to protect all British subjects residing in a foreign country, they cannot permanently ignore the exceptional and arbitrary treat- ment to which their fellow-countrymen and others are exposed, and the absolute indifference of the Government of the republic to the friendly representations which have been made to them on the subject." The Government, he went on to say, were most anxious to avoid intervention, and earnestly desired to maintain the independence of the republic. If they wished its overthrow they would certainly not have urged upon the re- public the course which they had suggested, feeling convinced that by satisfying the legitimate demands of the Outlanders, the stability of the republic would be greatly increased.

The House of Commons, which had actually reassembled on the Derby Day (May 31), managed to secure a good attend- ance for the discussion of the Half-Timers Bill in committee ; and, notwithstanding the hostile attitude of the Lancashire members, led by Mr. G. Whiteley (Liverpool), and Mr. Seton- Karr (St. Helens), Mr. Bobson succeeded in carrying his one- clause bill through the ordeal. The first dilatory proposal was to defer the operation of the bill for five years on the ground that employers might be given time to prepare for the new state of things. This preposterous suggestion was debated at some length, but finally ordy found ten supporters in a House of 173

H2