THE STORY OF THE RAID

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 329, 22 January 1909, Page 4

THE STORY OF THE RAID

' Mr. W. T. Stead, in llio course of n caustic review of .Mr. Fort's recently issued "Life of Dr. Jameson," makes those observations:- ' The tifty pages devoted to. the Raid wilj lii! .eagerly scanned to see wlielhei in tlie opinion of tlie Chartered 'Com panv the lime lias come I'or lotting tin cat'out of Ili« hag and lor vindicatim, Mr. Rhodes liv telling tlie trill li alionl Mr. Chamberlain. It would seem lliat ill their judgment, tlie time lias not yel rmiii'. .Mr. Fort still keeps lip I lie piom fraud. Tlie linancicrs of .loliaiincsbui';! were assured lliat .Mr. Chamberlain die approve ol' Mie revolution in which lhe\ were invited to embark. Thev did nol accept that slateiiient on ;,, mnrnnir a.iu a wink. Thrv diid not expect Mr. Cham l.crlain pllhliclv lo give Ihelll llis bless imr. Thcv preferred' nets rather thin words. And .Mr. Cliainlrerlain gave then deeds. To support the revolution i( was necessary Hint Hie Imperial flovcrn meiit shonlil hand over the neehun.na land nioiinind police to Dr. Jameson It wn.s hnmleil over. To enable liim tf enter the Transvaal it was iicccsmi!'> Unit the Imperial floveriinient shonli transfer to Hie Chartered Company tlii strip of territory along the frontier t( he used as jumping-off ground. Thesi two facts spoke move loudly than nnj word's in support of the statements or which they acted. further, it win under the spur of repeated telegram* sunt by trusted colleagues in London urging tlie conspirators, i,n tlie name ol ihc Colonial Office, to "hurry up." thai the liaicl was undertaken. I have in wish lo revive the old controversy, bill Mr. Furl would have done well lo lei sleeping dogs He. ' The net effect of his chapter on Ih, fluid is to exonerate Mr. Rhodes and f saddle Dr. .lamesoii with, all (he respon sibililv for the Tiaid—Dr. Jameson and Mr. Chamberlain. "Mr. Fort says: "Quite early in DecemUver Rhodes apparenth foresaw the insuperable difficulties and futility of tlie whole, business. In tin jiresence ol' a witness lie said to .lame' son: T think, after ~H, wc had bcltel give it up."' Jameson combated this Velieineiillv. ami although Mr. Fort V'M'efully refrains from savins it. tin arguments of Jameson would probnlilv have failed In induce "Rhodes to allow his saner judgment to go hy default" lint for the peremptory cablegrams goading him intn action despatched from London. These cablegram;; were sent hv confident inl agents after visits to tin' Colonial Office, and they were receivt :1 In- Rhodes nml .lameson ns embodying lire express instruetions of Mr. Chamberlain. Hence thr llniil. which would never have been possible but for Mr. Chamberlain, which might have been successful if lie had not interfered mlioiit I lie flair, and which would probably have abandoned altogether but for the iuirrv-up cablegrams inspired, if not absolutely dictated, bv Mr. Chamlierlain ir his satellites.