It was announced on Monday that the Secretary for War
had decided to restore to Colonel Frank Rhodes his commis- sion and rank in the Army. As our readers know, we have little sympathy with Mr. Cecil Rhodes and his methods in South Africa, but at the same time we have no desire to take up an implacable attitude towards the men who were engaged in the Raid, and we have always held that Colonel Rhodes's share in the transaction was distinctly less culpable than that of many of the persons less directly concerned, and was at any rate devoid of any taint of dishonour or of whole- sale falsehood. Whatever may have been Colonel Rhodes's essential motives, he was actually living in Johannesburg when he tried to organise a revolution against the undoubtedly illiberal and oppressive Boer Government. He deceived nobody whom it was his imperative dray not to deceive. Lastly, he did not receive a written order from his superiors and refuse to act upon it, as did the chief officers with Dr. Jameson's force. He was, in fact, acting in a civilian capacity all through, and so did not induce officers of the Queen to commit breaches of faith and duty. That being so, there seems no need to protest against Lord Lansdowne's action. Colonel Rhodes is a man of great courage and possesses an excellent military record.
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