The following memorandum—the one referred to in the above letter—was prepared by well-known Uitlanders whom the Government, owing to the refusal of the capitalists to deal with the franchise, had been obliged to select in order to get some pronouncement upon that question. The little ironies of life have two properties: the humour for the winner, and the hurt for the worsted. The Uitlanders had for three years enjoyed a singularly monotonous experience in ironies, but a turning came in the long lane when it became necessary for the President to suspend the operation of his three years' ban on two of the Reformers in order to get their advice upon the franchise question.
JOHANNESBURG, S.A.R.,
24th March, 1899.
GENTLEMEN,
In response to the invitation from the Government of the South African Republic conveyed to us by Mr. E. Lippert, we beg to submit the enclosed memorandum upon the franchise question.
Yours faithfully,
J. PERCY FITZPATRICK.
H.C. HULL.
W. DALRYMPLE.
W.A. MARTIN.
THOS. MACKENZIE.
R. STORE.
J.G. HAMILTON.
T.J. BRITTEN.
H.R. SKINNER.
To Messrs. G. Rouliot,
E. Birkenruth,
A. Brakhan,
J.M. Pierce,
H.F.E. Pistorius
Johannesburg.
MEMORANDUM RE FRANCHISE.
After such investigation as the restrictions imposed have permitted, we are of opinion that it would be quite useless to approach the Uitlander population with the Government proposal in its present form, chiefly for the following reasons:—
1. No consideration is given to the term of residence already completed.
2. The alteration of the franchise law according to lately prescribed procedure, whereby two-thirds of the burghers must signify approval, is a practical impossibility,—witness the fact that at the last Presidential election, surpassing in excitement and interest all other occasions of general voting, with the three recognized leaders in the field, and every agency at work to stimulate activity, less than two-thirds of the burghers on the register recorded their votes.