The Government of Pretoria had put the law in force without waiting to
consider these remarks.

On August 15th a despatch of Sir Alfred Milner's makes mention of a
proposal of the State Attorney to the British Government to waive their
invitation to a joint enquiry, in respect of the concession of a
retrospective Franchise of seven years being substituted for mere
naturalisation, and of an increase in the number of seats. Such a
proposition on the part of the Government of Pretoria shows plainly that
it wished to evade enquiry into a law so fettered with formalities that
its working was chimerical. And when Sir Alfred Milner referred to his
proposal at Bloemfontein, the State Attorney decreased to five years the
term of retrospective registration, gave eight seats to the Rand, and
two to other mining districts.

Upon which Pro-Boers exclaim: The Government of Pretoria has made every
possible concession!


6.--_The Conditions, and Withdrawal of Proposals._

They prove by that exclamation that they had not read Sir Alfred
Milner's despatches of the 22nd and 23rd of August.

The Government of Pretoria made these concessions, indeed but on
condition: (1) That the British Government shall withdraw its proposal
for a joint Commission to enquire into whether the law was workable; (2)
That the British Government shall renounce suzerainty; (3) That
arbitration--apart from Foreign Powers, with exception of the Orange
Free State--shall be granted immediately upon the Franchise Law being