He has issued a proclamation, saying that Spain might as well stop any
attempt to grant reforms to Cuba. He says: "We will accept neither
reforms nor home rule. Spain must know that this war is one for
independence, and that the Cubans would rather die than yield. The day
we lifted our flag of liberty, we wrote on it: 'Independence or death.'"

* * * * *

The committee appointed to inquire into the Transvaal raid has sent in
its report to Parliament--or, to speak correctly, it has sent in two
reports, for the members could not agree.

One report says that, whatever justification there may have been for the
people of Johannesberg to rebel against the rule of the Boers, there was
none whatever for Mr. Cecil Rhodes to organize and dispatch an invading
army into the Transvaal.

This portion of the committee declares that the blame rests entirely on
Cecil Rhodes, notwithstanding the fact that Dr. Jameson did finally
invade the territory without direct orders.

They find that Cecil Rhodes seriously embarrassed the home and colonial
governments, by thus breaking the peaceful understanding between the
nations; and further, that he used his high position to provoke a
rebellion, and deliberately deceived the home Government that he might
be able to carry out his own personal plans. The Government in England
is declared to be entirely innocent of any knowledge of the affair, but
two officers of the colonial Government are found guilty.

To the surprise of everybody, the report contains no suggestion for the