The Daily News. SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1902. DEATH OF CECIL RHODES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 91, 29 March 1902, Page 2

The Daily News. SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1902. DEATH OF CECIL RHODES.

Cecil Rhodes, the Empire builder, the diamond king, the South African statesman, the patriot, the man who has endeavoured to paint Africa red, is dead. No doubt the cables of the past few days have prepared our readers for the news of the death of this great j man ; still everywhere throughout the British Empire the feeling will be > general that the nation has sustained a [ great and irreparable loss. It in to such men as Cecil Rhodes that the Empire owes its greatness and worldwide dominions. He has spent hi* life in undoing the mistakes and re pairing the bluuders of the Little Engender party. If our own Sir GeorgeGrey, Cecil Rhodes, and others of lik.views had been listened to there would have been no first or sseond Transvaal War; Germany, France, and Portugal would not have held the enorinous areas of fertile country there to be a source of trouble in the future. The Great Gordon would not have perished at Khartoum. Fortunately, Cecil Rhodes was able to (Jo much to undo some of the effects of theee blunders. When the history of the last twentyfive years of the nineteenth century is written it will be seen that the influence of Cecil Rhodes secured South Africa for the British Empire. His dream of a Cape to Cairo all red railway secured Uganda and Rhodesia, and saved the situation at Faghoda. That the work of Livingstone, Moffat, and Stanley has not all been lost to the British Empire is largely due to his energy, his foresight, dogged perseverance, and statesmanship. A truly great man has passed away, and every true Britisher will rejoice that he lived long enough to see the seed ef Imperialism, so carefully sown and matured by him, springing into healthy and vigorous life. Bequiescat in pace.