At Johannesburg, however, different feelings possessed us. Without
knowing exactly why, we felt that this population, once so favoured by
fortune, so exultant and energetic, was in a subdued and despondent
mood, and wore a defeated and cowed air. When we timidly inquired as to
the cause, we found them labouring under a sense of wrong, and disposed
to be querulous and recriminatory. They blamed both Boers and British:
the whole civilised world and all but themselves seemed to have been
unwise and unjust. They recapitulated without an error of fact the many
failures and shames of British Colonial policy in the past, gave valid
instances of their distrust of the present policy, pointed to the
breaches of the Convention of 1884, and the manifest disregard of them
by the Colonial Secretary, described at large the conditions under which
they lived, and demanded to know if the manner in which the charter of
their liberties was treated was at all compatible with what they had a
right to expect under the express stipulations of the Convention.
"Why," said they, "between Boer arrogance and British indifference,
every condition of that Power of Attorney granted to Paul Kruger has
been disregarded by the Boer, and neglected by the British." They then
proceeded to dilate upon Boer oppression, Boer corruption, the cant and
hypocrisy of President Kruger, the bakshish-begging Raad, the
bribe-taking Ministry, the specious way in which promises were made,
and, when their trust was won, the heartless way in which these same
promises were broken. From these eloquent themes they proceeded to
detail their worries from taxation, high wages, extortionate freight
charges, the exactions levied upon every necessity of their industry,
the exorbitant price for coal, and imposts on food designed expressly to
pamper the burgher at the expense of the miner. Then in a more
melancholy tone they discussed the mistakes of their friends--Jameson's
tactless raid--the poverty of the country, the decline of business in
the city, the exodus of the Australians, and the prospects of a deficit
in the Treasury, etc., etc.