The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1899. THE TRANSVAAL TROUBLE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9838, 2 September 1899, Page 2

The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] SATURDAY, SEP TEMBER 2, 1899. THE TRANSVAAL TROUBLE.

During the past week or two the obstinacy of President Kruger and his evident intention of avoiding a settlement of tho matters in dispute between himself and the British Government have all but brought about war between the two raoes. But President Krtigor nil through tho trouble has avoided pushing matters too far, and has, when tho outlook woro tho most threatening aspect, managed to stave oft' actual hostilities. That ho has gone perilously closo to involving the Transvaal in a distastrous war with Britain, is certain, a? also that his shuffling has put tho latter country to enormous expense. His action has been from the first reckless to a degree, but ho has all along shown that, with all his obstinacy, ho has had an underlying amount of fear of consequences sufficient to keep him from going too far with his attempts to throw oft' the Transvaal's suzerainty obligations to Britain. The situation lias been ono of intense responsibility and apprehension, aa tho UHlander population of tho Rand have been so afiaid of remaining thero and risking the consequences to themselves of an outbreak of war between tho Boers and tho Biitish forces, that they have been leaving tho Transvaal in largo numbers and sacrificing their belongings in order to do so. On these unfortunate people tho gravity of tho situation has pressed heavily, many of them having had to sacrifice their property, in order to send their wives and families to a place of safety, even if they took the risk of staying behind themselves to look after thoir interests in tho Transvaal. President Krugcr's action in bringing about such strained relations between his Government and that of Great Brit.iin lias, therefore, been akin to the last straw on the unfortunate Uitlanders' burdon, aud has ruined numbers of them who were boforo in a. fair way of making money thero. Tho situation during the lnst day or two, howevor, has somewhat improved, and bears out the prophecy of those who all along expressed the opinion that President Kruger would pull in his horns before matters had gone too far, and agree to the conditions laid down by tho High Commissioner, Sir Alfred Milner, who simply insisted on tho Transvaal Government performing its obligations under tho agreed upon conditions laid down by tho Conference, among which was that of British suzerainty ovor the Boer Republic. President Kruger is very restless under this restriction of his powers, and will do anything short of going to war to get rid of the, to him, obnoxious British suzeiainty.

Tho action of Premier Schreiner, of Cape Colony, in showing 30 great a desire to aid the Boers in their preparations for war with Britain, has justly called forth the indignation and condemnation of the British residents of that portion of tho Empire, and shown to tho rest of the world that blood 16 thicker than water, and that the Boor olement is still very strong in the "population of tho British South African colonies, and likely, in the case of war, to lead 'to serious complications. It is to bu hoped, however, that hostilities will not occur there, and that the Boer Government will agree to the very reasonablo demands of Sir Alfred Milner, which tho Hon. Joseph Chamberlain is determined shall bo enforced "vie et nrmis," if necessary— a fact that h;ib evidently impressed itself on Picsidcnt Kmger sufficiently to caudo him to let it be known that he does not want to plungo into a disastrous conflict with Britain ovor tho Uitlander question. If by any chance 6iich a calamity overtakes him, he will soon realise tho terrible mistake ho lias made in refusing to treat these strangers within his gates with justice and consideration, as war onco declared between tho Transvaal and Britain Will not be allowed by the latter Power to stop until she- liac again resumed possession of the country, and placed tho Uitlauders under her flag. It may cost heavily in lives and money to do so, but the feeling in England ia that, no matter what the cost of such a war, it must bo carried on until the rule of tho Boer in the Transvaal is swept away for ever.