Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/633

 1899.] STATE PAPEES— TEANSVAAL. 209

decided expression of opinion on their part was to be heard. I do not mean to say that they will take my side as against President Kruger, bnt what they probably will do is to suggest modifications of President Kruger's scheme so far reaching as to convert it virtually into some- thing much more like mine. In that case there is still a possibility , though not perhaps any great likelihood, that the President may give in. Even if he does not, I do not see that we shall be in any worse position for dealing with him on the other line, because at the Confer- ence at Bloemfontein I confined myself entirely to the attitude of friendly suggestion, and, avoiding as far as possible all appearance of desire on the part of her Majesty's Government to interfere in his internal affairs, used all my influence to induce him to agree to a compromise which would render such interference unnecessary.

C — 9,416, issued July £7.

In answer to a telegram from Mr. Chamberlain asking what really was the attitude taken up by Sir A. Milner at the conference, the latter replied on June 10 : —

During the earlier stages of conference, when I was trying to get the President to enter into discussion on franchise, he constantly attempted to get me to agree to arbitration as a set-off to any extension of fran- chise, which I constantly refused. My contention was that the franchise question must be considered first on its merits, as going to the root of the most serious differences, and that unless agreement could be arrived at on it, discussion on other matters would be of little use. I said : " As I have put forward my proposal first, I want to discuss that proposition to the end, until we come to see whether agreement is possible ; because, if it turns out, as it may turn out when we look at the details, that the President is not prepared to go to that point which I should consider a minimum, then it is no use considering what we should do in view of a scheme which we don't care about ... I am in so far entirely with the President that I want, if possible, to have in future as few questions to discuss with the South African Government as I now have with the Orange Free State. I feel that the President will need, if he accepts my scheme of franchise, to have some assurance that there shall not be perpetual controversies between him and England, and that if there are controversies, some regular way of dealing with them should be devised. The President once proposed that some question, or a number of ques- tions, should be submitted to the President of the Swiss Republic Her Majesty's Government refused that on general principle, from which I am sure they will not depart ; that they will not have any foreign Government or any foreign interference at all between them and the South African Republic But if some other method can be devised of submitting to an impartial tribunal questions that may in future arise between us, and perhaps even some questions which exist at present, in any case to provide for the future ; if such a plan can be devised and suggested to me I will lay it before her Majesty's Government, and do what I can personally to assist in a satisfactory solution of the same. The Presi- dent must understand that I cannot pledge her Majesty's Government