to keep people's spirits in a constant
state of excitability, it was easy enough, with the aid of money, to
bring about a state of political ferment in a very short time,
especially as just that measure of grievances existed to give a colour
of truth to the imaginary ones.

[Sidenote: The National Union.]

Under these conditions the National Union movement originated in 1892.
Its adherents were entirely composed of the creatures and parasites of
the Capitalists, with a few honest fools and enthusiasts who naturally
did not think deeply enough to discern the aim and the trend of this
hypocritical movement.

The Capitalists at this time certainly kept well in the background, in
order that the movement might have the appearance of being a popular
one. The Capitalists of Johannesburg were, however, a theatrical lot,
and the desire to play a prominent _role_ was too intense to be
suppressed for any length of time, so that after the lapse of a couple
of years they naturally took the leading part in the _opera bouffe_
agitation which followed.

[Sidenote: Corruption of the Capitalists.]

They began, by means of the lowest and most repulsive methods, to
undermine the Boer policy in order to gain the mastery of the mining
legislation and administration. They had persuaded themselves and the
rest of the world that the Boers were as a body corrupt and tainted, so
they armed themselves, with the power of money in order to overthrow
them.

Lionel Phillips wrote in this spirit on the 16th June, 1894, to Beit in
London:--[30] "I may here say that, as you of course know, I have no
desire for political rights, and believe as a whole that the community
is not ambitious in this respect. The bewaarplaatsen question will, I
think, be settled in our favour, but at a cost of about L25,000. It is
proposed to spend a good deal of money in order to secure a better
Raad, but it must be remembered that the spending of money on elections
has, by recent legislation, been made a criminal offence, and the matter
will have to be carefully handled."

On the 15th July, 1894, he wrote again to the same
correspondent:--[31] "Our trump card is a fund of L10--15,000 to improve
the Raad. Unfortunately the companies have no secret service fund. I
must divine away. We don't want to shell out ourselves."

Here we catch a glimpse behind the scenes, and we observe how the
Capitalists in 1894 had already endeavoured to lower and vitiate our
public life