The price
of everything connected with the mining industry was doubled by the
supply being in the hands of monopolists, who shared their gains with
high state officials. Money was lavished like water on what was called
secret service, in subsidizing newspapers to influence public opinion
throughout Europe, and, as it was strongly suspected, in carrying on a
propaganda among the Dutch in Cape Colony, and in securing the return of
members and a ministry secretly pledged to further in every way the aims
of the Presidents of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The
British and other aliens were not only deprived of all rights of
citizenship, but even freedom of speech and the right of public meeting
was denied them; they were not allowed to carry arms except by a special
license, their children were taught in Dutch in the schools, they had no
right of trial by jury; judges who had the courage to refuse to carry
out the illegal behests of the president were deprived of their offices,
and the few editors of newspapers representing the Uitlanders--as all
men not born in the state were called-were imprisoned and their journals
suppressed.
Intolerable as was such a state of things to a civilized community, it
might have been borne with some patience had it not been that the
insolence of their masters was unbounded.
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