Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/158

 150] ENGLISH HISTOEY. pui*

Milner and President Kruger respectively as to the enfranchise- ment of aliens in the South African Kepublic. Sir A. Milner regarded the President's proposals as altogether inadequate to meet the case, and the conference broke up. Since the con- ference there had been private and unofficial discussions between the Government of the South African Eepublic and Mr. Hof- meyr, Mr. Herholdt, one of the Cape ministers, and Mr. Fischer, a member of the Executive of the Orange Free State, which had resulted in new franchise proposals being submitted by President Kruger to the First Volksraad of the South African Republic. Sir A. Milner's proposals were, briefly, franchise after five years' retrospectiva Under the President's original proposals not a single Outlander would get the franchise immediately; those who came in before 1890 would get it in two and a half years. Others already resident for two years would have to wait five years longer. Those coming in in future would have to wait seven and a half years. All would have to undergo the objec- tionable naturalisation period. Under the latest proposals the naturalisation period was removed. Those who came in before 1890 would get the franchise at once, and those who came in in 1890 and subsequent years would get it as soon as they had completed nine years' residence. There would thus be a small immediate enfranchisement of aliens who were already resident in the country, and additions would be made each year until five years from the passing of the act, when all aliens who had been seven years in the country at that time, and who possessed the conditions, might be enfranchised. New comers would be entitled to the franchise seven years after they had given written notice of their desire to become burghers of the State. The number of members allotted to the goldfields would be increased by four. In the absence of fuller information, it was impossible to be absolutely certain of the practical effect of the whole scheme. So far as they were able to judge from the information before them, the new scheme would have no im- mediate effect on the representation in the First Volksraad of the alien population, and it was not certain that they could carry any of the seats allotted to the Band until a much later period.

A few days later (July 17) Mr. Chamberlain stated that Sir A Milner considered that under President Kruger's scheme the number of Outlanders enfranchised would be considerably less than half of those who might come in under his own. It was uncertain whether they would be able to command any of the four new seats, although it could not be possibly affirmed that they would not. He presumed that the half spoken of would come in immediately.

Up to this time there was little doubt that the Imperial Government honestly believed that President Kruger — who in reality was the Government of the Transvaal — would, after a protracted show of resistance, give way upon the franchise

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