the facts can for a moment doubt the guilt of the Transvaal Government
for having systematically provoked that attempt at revolution, "Bond"
propaganda and paid journalism had a rare chance to set up the theory
that annexation on behalf of Great Britain had been foully planned--the
Prince of Wales even being an abettor of the attempted _coup d'état_
purely to gratify the lust of greed for the gold and diamonds of the
poor innocent Boers. No terms were too vituperative to denounce the
enormity. Millions of honest persons all over the world were
deluded--there was a bitter cry of almost universal indignation. The
Boer Government posed as innocent; the designs of the Afrikaner Bond
were not even suspected--its ranks, in sympathy with those delusions
sped on filling up faster than ever, and the father of lies was scoring
another very sensible triumph.

In lieu of reforms, Bond projects and armaments were secretly pursued
with redoubled vigour towards the climax which should install
Afrikanerdom supreme in South Africa, financially as well as
politically.




BLOEMFONTEIN FRANCHISE CONFERENCE--BOER ULTIMATUM

Capitalists had already begun to feel nervous about the final security
of their investments; operations and credit became restricted, fresh
projects were abandoned and a persistent withdrawal of capital set in.
Trade and prosperity were progressively waning, accompanied with still
more ominous portents for the Uitlanders' future. It all meant a very
extensive weeding out of investments under enormous losses, except such