The peace negotiations between the governments of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State Part 14

Lord KITCHENER: Do you accept the annexations?

General s.m.u.tS: Not formally, but I do not understand that this proposal would be in conflict with the annexation proclamations.

Lord KITCHENER: I fear that my mind is not clear enough to understand this. There will have to be two Governments in one State. And how do you propose that the government should be carried on?

General s.m.u.tS: A fuller explanation would have to be given to the word _supervision_; and I thought that this was exactly the point which could be further discussed, and on which we could negotiate.

Lord MILNER: I shall certainly not depart from a clear basis to accept a vague basis.

Lord KITCHENER: I feel convinced that your proposal could never be carried out in the practical government of a country.

Chief Commandant DE WET: I am also of opinion that our proposal is not developed, just as little as the Middelburg proposals. This was clearly intimated by Lord Kitchener and Lord Milner when those proposals were made; and they were only considered as a basis on which we could negotiate, so that the matter could be set going. We naturally cannot bind the British Government to accept our explanations; but it is in any case a basis.

Lord MILNER: I am very anxious that these discussions should not end in smoke, and would not allow any formal point to stand in the way; but to depart from the definite proposals of Middelburg (March 7th, 1901) to a thing like this, and to begin discussions anew thereon on something that is very vague, will certainly land us in difficulties.

I believe that we are ent.i.tled to hold you to the Middelburg proposals, which we can modify as far as details are concerned.

General BOTHA: Perhaps it will be well that you first reply to our proposal.

Chief Commandant DE WET: I understand that unless Your Excellencies are prepared to give a final answer to our proposals it would not be unreasonable of us to request that you first submit them to your Government.

General BOTHA: We have come here with the earnest desire to conclude peace, and I think that if our proposal is developed Boer and Briton will be able to live here side by side; and I a.s.sume that it is the desire of both parties not to suppress one race. We wish to conclude a peace, with which both parties are satisfied, and which will be permanent in South Africa.

Lord MILNER: Our object is the same.

Lord KITCHENER: Your proposal will cause important alterations in our proposals, to which we, in my opinion, cannot agree.

General BOTHA: I think that especially because a proposal has been made from your side you must give a decided answer to our proposal.

Lord KITCHENER and Lord MILNER: Then alter your proposal into ours.

Lord MILNER: I do not believe that the British Government is prepared to go further to meet you than they have gone in their last proposals.

In their opinion they went far on the way to peace, further than the views of the British public.

Lord KITCHENER: The difference between our proposals, appears to me, to be too wide.

General BOTHA: We always remain under the supervision of the British Government.

Lord KITCHENER: Will you then consider yourselves as British subjects?

"Supervision" is a new word, and "Suzerainty" has given us too much trouble.

General HERTZOG: The idea is not so new. There are, indeed, various kinds of States which all belong to the British Empire, Basutoland, for instance.

Lord MILNER: There are various kinds, but this is a new kind.

General HERTZOG: I trust Your Excellencies will understand us. We came here not to lose a minute of time. We have been to the people. We know what the people want and what the spirit prevailing amongst them is.

If we therefore hand in a proposal we have to take two matters into consideration: (1) A proposal that will meet the British Government in a reasonable manner; and (2) A proposal which we have reasonable ground for believing our people will accept. For these reasons we have submitted a proposal, and now we are in the disadvantageous position that we are here before Your Excellencies, who have not full authority to decide finally.

Lord KITCHENER: We are in the same position as you.

General HERTZOG: We suggest something which we know to be in accordance with the spirit of our people, but it is impossible for us to do something that is contrary to that spirit.

Lord MILNER: Must we understand that the Middelburg proposals are not in the spirit of what your people wish?

General s.m.u.tS: No answer has yet been given thereon. The only resolution taken by the meeting of representatives is that which we have submitted here.

Lord KITCHENER: Are you prepared to drop your proposal and to hand in another nearer to the Middelburg proposals? We must try to find a middle way. If we are here to try to arrive at something, let us try to get something that we can discuss. Shall we make a new proposal?

General s.m.u.tS: If there is a final answer to our proposal, then we can take into consideration the question of putting forward a new one.

Lord MILNER: I believe the fact that you have refused to entertain the proposals from the British Government does not justify us to deal with your proposal. No, let us say that your reply is contained therein.

General s.m.u.tS: I understand the position as follows: The British Government has rejected our proposals, and at the same they point to the old basis but without precluding us from making new proposals.

Lord MILNER: The entire difference between you and me is that I read the letter of March 7th, 1901, as being the extreme concession that the British Government could make, not so much to bind us to every clause and sentence of the proposals contained therein, but as an indication of how far they were prepared generally to go. Your reply now is no reply.

Lord KITCHENER read out his telegram, dated "April 14th, 1902: A difficulty has arisen in getting on with the proceedings. The representatives state that const.i.tutionally they have no power to discuss terms based on the surrender of independence, inasmuch as only the burghers can agree to such a basis; therefore, if they were to propose terms, it would put them in a false position with regard to their people. If, however, His Majesty's Government could state the terms that subsequent to relinquishment of independence, they would be prepared to grant, the representatives, after asking for the necessary explanations, without any expression of approval or disapproval, would submit such conditions to their people." He continued: "You have evidently not adhered to what you undertook in this telegram."

Chief Commandant DE WET: If it was the intention that we should give an answer only to the basis given us in the British proposals, it would not have been necessary for the people to come to Vereeniging.

But yet we have virtually come with something which in the proper sense of the word is almost similar to the Middelburg proposals, and which meets the British Government as far as possible.

General BOTHA: I do not see why we should so insist on our proposal.

If it is not to the satisfaction of Your Excellencies, if it is not acceptable, give us a definite reply.

Lord MILNER: We want to have a reply to the proposal made by us.

General s.m.u.tS: I do not understand that a proposal was made by the British Government. A certain basis only was laid down, and no formal answer is therefore necessary.

Lord MILNER: Our proposals are six times as definite as yours, and I am of opinion that the British Government are ent.i.tled to know whether your people are inclined to come to terms on the general lines of their proposals.

Lord KITCHENER: This is an entirely new proposal. How would it be if you went back to the people and asked them whether they would not accept our proposals?

General s.m.u.tS: You must understand that the Middelburg proposals, with all that took place here in April, was read out to the people. Their reply was neither yes nor no, but the election of delegates. These delegates have given no reply yet. They are still considering the matter, and to save time they have delegated us to see whether we could not come to an agreement.

Lord MILNER: We are deviating from the agreement. Tell us what alterations you desire, and then lay our proposals before your people.

Lord KITCHENER: If you agree that your proposal is not in conflict with the annexation, then we have done something.

General s.m.u.tS: Is it your opinion that our proposal must be set aside?

Lord KITCHENER: Yes, certainly. It is impossible for us to act on it.

Lord MILNER: We cannot take your proposal into consideration. We can send it to England, but it will certainly contribute to injure the negotiations. This is my personal opinion, which, of course, you need not accept. We can only say that this is all the reply that we can get out of you.

Lord KITCHENER: It will be better to draft a new doc.u.ment in which we note what is important and what not, and omit the unimportant.

General s.m.u.tS: But Point 3 of our proposal has not even been touched upon. We are prepared to give up a portion of our territory.

Lord MILNER: That would be inconsistent with the annexation of the whole. If the whole is annexed by us, how can you part with a portion of it?