The Transvaal Blue-book relating to the Bloemfontein Conference, issued on
Wednesday, contains a very able despatch by Sir Alfred Milner. The most important passage is that which deals with and defends his insistence upon the
franchise being the essential point. " I had," says Sir Alfred Milner, " to pursue one of two policies ; either (1) to seek in a spirit of broad compromise to obtain for the Uitlanders such a position as would enable them gradually to remedy their principal grievances themselves; or (2) to insist on a series of specific reforms which should relieve the Uitlanders from at least the more serious of these grievances. Of the two possibilities, No. 1 was, in my opinion, far the better, and No. 2 only to be resorted to in case of the failure of No. 1. But to introduce No. 2 prematurely would make the successful pursuance of No. 1 impossible." It was necessary to mention the other grievances, but "to propose to interfere, here, there, and everywhere, in the internal affairs of the Republic, would have been totally in- consistent with that line of firm, but friendly, pressure for the admission of the Uitlandere to citizenship (id est, to a
position in which they could remedy grievances for them- selves), which, in the first instance at any rate, it seemed best to pursue." This was, in our opinion, a wise and statesman- like course. The general style and tone of the despatch is far better than that of the famous telegram, and strongly inclines us in favour of a wireless diplomacy.
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