Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/160

 152] ENGLISH HISTOEY. [jult

which practically rendered the law unworkable, or they were intended to make its relief nugatory. At the same time the mere admission of the principle of seven years* residence seemed to open a possible field for negotiations. A "political note," believed to reflect official opinion, appeared in the Times (July 19) to the following effect : " Given a seven years* retrospective franchise and a measure of representation equal to that demanded by Sir Alfred Milner, the only point left for discussion is the two years' additional qualification. This is a matter to which it is understood the Government attach very small importance; in fact, the net result of the negotiations appears to be that Mr. Chamberlain has fully achieved the object which he has all along had in view."

This view was borne out by Mr. Chamberlain on the following day (July 20), who stated that he had received official informa- tion of the Volksraad having made the residential qualification for the franchise seven years' retrospective, and proceeded : " I have no official information as to the redistribution, but it has been stated that the Government of the South African Eepublic proposes to give seven new seats to the districts chiefly inhabited by aliens. If this report is confirmed, this important change in the proposals of President Kruger, coupled with previous amend- ments, leads the Government to hope that the new law may prove to be a basis of settlement on the lines laid down by Sir A. Milner at the Bloemfontein Conference. I observe, however, that the Volksraad have still retained a number of conditions which might be so interpreted as to preclude those otherwise qualified from acquiring the franchise, and might, therefore, be used to take away with one hand what has been given with the other. The provision that the alien desirous of burghership shall produce a certificate of continuous registration during the period required for naturalisation is an instance of this, for it has been stated that the law of registration has been allowed to fall into desuetude, and that but few aliens, however long resident in the country, have been continuously registered. It would also be easy by subsequent legislation to alter the whole character of the concessions now made ; but her Majesty's Government feel assured that the President, having accepted the principle for which they have contended, will be prepared to reconsider any detail of his schemes which can be shown to be a possible hindrance to the full accomplishment of the object in view, and that he will not allow them to be nullified or reduced in value by any subsequent alterations of the law or acts of administration."

These hopeful opinions were not shared either by the Out- landers in Johannesburg or by the British residents in South Africa, who understood better the nature of the restrictions contained in the bill. Public opinion in England was "very imperfectly informed on the rights of the question," and it was too readily accepted in many quarters that the capitalists and