It was not that the Transvaal Government was unaware of its duty and
responsibility to remove causes which produced discontent and resentment
among by far the larger section of the people under its rule. It seemed
rather that the Uitlanders were provoked with systematic intention.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 2: The Berne award has, as is well known, since been given.]

[Footnote 3: The Ermelo-Machadodorp branch.]

[Footnote 4: These very details were since made public in the Belgian
Law courts in the recent _cause celebre_ of "The Government of the South
African Republic _versus_ Baron Oppenheim."]

MONSTER PETITION--JAMESON INCURSION--ARMAMENTS

It was at this stage in May, 1894, that a monster petition with some
25,000 signatures was presented to the Volksraad, setting forth the
entire position, and praying for a commission to be appointed to examine
the merits of the Uitlander complaints, and to frame a programme of
reforms, the interests of the mining community needing such in a most
urgent degree, not only for the sake of its own prosperity, but for the
welfare of the entire State. A commission was indeed appointed, who
reported in favour of the petitioners, and suggested a series of
reforms; but the final Volksraad vote resulted in an angry rejection of
the petition and denunciation of its organizers.

As on the occasion of previous memorials, some few abuses were
redressed, but those benefits were made worse than nugatory by
enactments in other directions of a still more galling nature. The
petitioners found themselves snubbed and in the position of humiliating
defeat.

Treatment of Coloured British Subjects

A glaring instance of oppression practised by the Transvaal Government
was its cruel treatment of coloured British subjects who had been
admitted into the State. Among these figured some thousands of educated
Asiatic traders, including numerous cultured Indian and Parsee merchants
with large stakes in the State and well-appointed residences, people
whose very religion exacted the most scrupulous cleanliness and who had
all proved themselves obedient and law-abiding. These were classed under
one rubric with the vastly inferior coolie labourer, with Kaffirs and
Hottentots, and actually compelled to abandon their stores and
residences to reside in one common ghetto upon the outskirts of the
towns, a measure which entailed great losses apart from the gratuitous
humiliation--to many it involved ru