If the President really means to accept Sir Alfred Miler's
conditions, he has made a great tactical mistake in not saying so in explicit words. However, when his new franchise pro- posals are made, they will be examined on their merits, either jointly or by the Imperial Government alone, and if they in effect, though not in form, fulfil the necessary conditions, and are not so intricate as to be unworkable, they will doubtless be made the basis of agreement. It must be clearly under- stood, however, that they shall come into immediate operation, and that their working shall not be at the mercy of Executive officers. President Kruger must also be told that, in the interests of all parties, there must be no undue spinning out of negotiations. Again, he must banish from his mind all idea of a quid pro quo, if by that he means arbitration, or any abandonment, direct or indirect, of our paramountcy. There is nothing of that nature left which we can give up. As a final word we can only state how great would be our satisfaction if it should turn out that President Kruger honestly means to accept the High Commissioner's conditions.
