There was much amusement in the British Parliament when the claim was
made, and the members laughed heartily at the idea of moral and
intellectual damage.
In the same way that we manage these matters in our Senate, the affair was
referred to a committee.
This committee has to inquire into the matter, see if the claim is a just
one, and whether England ought really to pay money to the South African
Republic.
It is this committee which is sitting in Westminster Hall.
All London was interested when Mr. Cecil Rhodes was called before it and
put on the stand as a witness. Mr. Rhodes was the Prime Minister of Cape
Colony, and resigned his position when the trouble came about the Raid.
He is perhaps the most important man in all South Africa. It is his desire
to bring the whole of this territory under English rule, and it is thought
that this ambition was at the root of the Jameson Raid, and that Cecil
Rhodes is really the person who is responsible for it.
It is also whispered that the English Government looks favorably upon his
plans, and that the Raid was only a part of a deep-laid scheme to
overthrow the Boer Government, and seize the Transvaal for England.
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