Treated and fought.
This Paul Kruger with the simple words of peace is the same Paul
Kruger who with gentle sayings insured the disarmament of
Johannesburg, and then instantly arrested his enemies - the man
whose name was a by-word for 'slimness' [craftiness] throughout
South Africa. With such a man the best weapon is absolute naked
truth with which Lord Salisbury confronted him in his reply: -
Foreign Office: March 11th.
'I have the honour to acknowledge your Honours' telegram dated
March 5th from Bloemfontein, of which the purport was principally
to demand that Her Majesty's Government shall recognise the
"incontestable independence" of the South African Republic and
Orange Free State as "sovereign international States," and to offer
on those terms to bring the war to a conclusion.
'In the beginning of October last peace existed between Her Majesty
and the two Republics under the conventions which then were in
existence. A discussion had been proceeding for some months between
Her Majesty's Government and the South African Republic, of which
the object was to obtain redress for certain very serious
grievances under which British residents in the. Republic were
suffering. In the course of those negotiations the Republic had, to
the knowledge of Her Majesty's Government, made considerable
armaments, and the latter had consequently taken steps to provide
corresponding reinforcements to the British garrisons of Cape Town
and Natal. No infringement of the rights guaranteed by the
conventions had up to that time taken place on the British side.
Suddenly, at two days' notice, the South African Republic, after
issuing an insulting ultimatum, declared war, and the Orange Free
State with whom there had not even been any discussion, took a
similar step. Her Majesty's dominions were immediately invaded by
the two Republics, siege was laid to three towns within the British
frontier, a large portion of the two Colonies was overrun with
great destruction to property and life, and the Republics claimed
to treat the inhabitants as if those dominions had been annexed to
one or other of them. In anticipation of these operations the South
African Republic had been accumulating for many years past military
stores upon an enormous scale, which by their character could only
have been intended for use against Great Britain.
'Your Honours make some observations of a negative character upon
the object with which these preparations were made. I do not think
it necessary to discuss the questions which you have raised. But
the result of these preparations, carried on with great secrecy,
has been that the British Empire has been compelled to confront an
invasion which has entailed a costly war and the loss of thousands
of precious lives. This great calamity has been the penalty which
Great Britain has suffered for having in recent years acquiesced in
the existence of the two Republics.
