President of Orange Free State to Sir Alfred Milner, October 11, 1899.
I have the honour to acknowledge Your Excellency's telegrams of this evening. The high-handed and unjustifiable policy and conduct of Her Majesty's Government in interfering in and dictating in the purely internal affairs of South African Republic, constituting a flagrant breach of the Convention of London, 1884, accompanied at first by preparations, and latterly followed by active commencement of hostilities against that Republic, which no friendly and well-intentioned efforts on our part could induce Her Majesty's Government to abandon, constitute such an undoubted and unjust attack on the independence of the South African Republic that no other course is left to this State than honourably to abide by its Conventional Agreements entered into with that Republic. On behalf of this Government, therefore, I beg to notify that, compelled thereto by the action of Her Majesty's Government, they intend to carry out the instructions of the Volksraad as set forth in the last part of the Resolution referred to by Your Excellency.
CHAPTER VI.
CONSTITUTION OF THE ORANGE FREE STATE.
Chapter I.—Citizenship.
Section I.—How Citizenship is Obtained.
1. Burghers of the Orange Free State are:
(a) White persons born from inhabitants of the State both before and after 23 February, 1854.