The Bloemfontein Conference was a meeting that took place at the railway station of Bloemfontein, capital of the Orange Free State from 31 May until 5 June 1899. The main issue dealt with the status of British migrant workers called "Uitlanders", who mined the gold fields in Transvaal.
The conference was initiated by Orange Free State president Martinus Theunis Steyn, in order to settle differences between Transvaal President Paul Kruger and British High Commissioner Alfred Milner. It was considered a last effort at reconciliation to prevent war between the two factions.
At the conference, Milner made three demands from Kruger: Enactment by Transvaal of a law that would immediately give Uitlanders enfranchisement and the right to vote. Use of the English language in the Volksraad of the South African Republic (Transvaal Parliament). All laws of the Volksraad would need to be approved by the British Parliament.
Kruger considered these demands an impossibility, however he was willing to reduce the period of Uitlander enfranchisement from the present fourteen years to seven years. Milner refused to compromise his original demands and, despite encouragement from British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain for him to continue the talks, Milner walked out of the conference on 5 June and no resolution concerning the fate of the Uitlanders was reached.
At this time, Milner composed a diatribe called the "Helot's Dispatch", which lambasted the Transvaal as a force that "menaces the peace and prosperity of the world".WayBackMachine, From the Jameson Raid to Bloemfontein: Debating the Origins of the Boer War
The Bloemfontein Conference The Bloemfontein Conference was proposed by Afrikaner Jan Hofmeyr on 9 May 1899. It was held in the capital of the Orange Free State, with the intent of defusing a crisis between the Transvaal Republic and the British Empire. Of the three English demands (enfranchisement [voting rights], language, and suzerainty [foreign policy]) Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain told Alfred Milner to place the Uitlander issue (enfranchisement) up front by asking for a five year retrospective franchise (five years of residency to be eligible to vote), the placement of at least 7 members of the Rand in the Volksraad, and if Kruger refused, to try municipal government enfranchisement (of English residents) and control of the police. If agreement couldn't be reached on this first, important point, there was no point in discussing other issues.Thompson, J. Lee, "Forgotten Patriot", pgs. 132-133
31 May 99 (2:30 to 4:30pm): "Rather discursive, and we did not get very farHeadlam, Cecil, "The Milner Papers, Vol. I", pg. 405 (on the franchise question, Kruger said it would be worse than annexation and the "freedom of the Republic would not exist any longer").Thompson, pgs. 135-136 The tone was friendly. In the evening there was a huge reception at President Steyn's. Kruger was present for a little..." "The President rambles fearfully."Headlam, pg. 405 1 June 99: blank.Headlam, pg. 405 (Milner's diary) Morning: Kruger asked about threatening movements of soldiers near his border, which Milner denied. Milner countered by asking about the transfer of Transvaal (Afrikaner) troops near Natal, and recent purchases of heavy weapons. Kruger replied that the weapons were defensive, for protection against enemies or wild animals. Also, he stressed that the Boers were never an attacking force, and that "as long as your Excellency lives you will see that we shall never be the attacking party on another man's land". Milner then brought the discussion back to the franchise.Thompson, pg. 136 Afternoon: Kruger asked for time to consider Milner's proposals. He then talked about the Dynamite Monopoly (the Boers had a monopoly on dynamite). When asked to put his suggestions for reform in writing, Kruger said that would encroach upon his country's independence. Milner then asked Kruger to prepare a counterproposal on the franchise question, which he agreed to do. Kruger then asked about various other issues (the annexation of Zambaansland and Swaziland, Jameson Raid reparations, and arbitration), to which Milner said he would receive a reply.Thompson, pg. 136 2 June 99: blank.Headlam, pg. 405 (Milner's diary) Morning: Kruger asked Milner to agree to a plan for international arbitration before he settled the franchise question, because he needed something to take back to his countrymen first. Milner replied that foreign interference would not be allowed, but some other form of impartial tribunal might be found. Milner then answered questions raised by Kruger at the end of the previous day, but nothing new was found. After a recess, Milner brought the topic back to the franchise, and asked for a serious discussion. He said he came "at a time of crisis in order to see if one big straightforward effort might not be made to avert a great disaster," and if they could not agree to discuss the matter on its merits, "everything else was a waste of time." One of Milner's aides reported to his mother, "Paul Kruger wept this morning."Thompson, pg. 137 Afternoon: Kruger surprised Milner with a "complete Reform Bill worked out in clauses and subclauses" for a 7 year franchise to the Uitlanders (his previous stand was 14 years). However, it was nonretrospective and loaded with qualifiers. Kruger also added two conditions: Britain's acceptance of international arbitration for future disputes, and the Transvaal's annexation of Swaziland. Milner asked for time to consider it all.Thompson, pgs. 137-138 3 June 99: "Meeting this morning, at which time I read a memo, explaining why I could not accept President's counter proposal. We adjourned after short discussion. We were to have met again in the afternoon, but soon after lunch I received a message asking that the meeting might be put off until 9:30am on Monday, to which I agreed..."Headlam, pg. 405 (Milner's diary) The plan lacked an allowance for Volksraad seats, the franchise was prospective only, and most Uitlanders would have to forfeit their British citizenship five years before they received new citizenship. Also, Milner did not want to give in on arbitration. In his response, which took him most of the night to draft, Milner said the plan, while "a great advance", was so inadequate it would be a waste of time to consider its details. In reply, Kruger said he meant to ask the Volksraad to create 4 or 5 new electoral divisions, but he couldn't let his people to be swamped with strangers.Thompson, pg. 138 4 June 99: Sunday (day off). Milner telegraphed Joseph Chamberlain and said the "Conference seems likely to fail".Thompson, pg. 138 5 June 99: "Close of Conference, of course resultless. We met at 11:30 when I put in stiff memorandum, knocking about President's scheme. We adjourned for lunch. At 3 we met again. He adhered to his scheme and we parted at 4:30. Subsequently Hanbury and I went to say goodbye to President Steyn. Wild rush to send off telegrams..."Headlam, pgs. 405-406 (Milner's diary) Kruger would not go further without concessions, and said he was "not ready to hand over his country to strangers."Thompson, pg. 139
After the Conference broke up, Milner received a telegram from Chamberlain counseling patience and compromise with the Boers, who were used to "a good deal of haggling". Had he received the message earlier, Milner said the talks would have continued.Thompson, pg. 138
Other
Milner's Helot dispatch was sent to Joseph Chamberlain on 4 May 1899.Headlam, pgs. 349-353 From the time of Milner's arrival in Cape Town on 5 May 1897, until President Kruger's landslide election victory in February 1898, Milner was silent on the South African question.Gollin, Alfred, "Prococul in Politics", pg. 33 He then gave a speech in Middleburg on 3 March 1898,Milner, "The Nation and the Empire", pg. 6Headlam, pgs. 241-242 followed by a letter dated 9 May to his superior, Lord Selborne (Undersecretary of State for the Colonies, #2 in the Colonial Office, to Joseph Chamberlain).Nimocks, Walter, "Milner's Young Men", pg. 18 Later, when convinced the Boers would never agree to terms with the English, Milner sent the "Helot" dispatch (Helots were a caste of Greeks in ancient Sparta treated effectively as slaves by the Spartans). His letter said that two governments, one Boer and one English, cannot exist peacefully side by side.Thompson, J. Lee, "Forgotten Patriot", pg. 131
Along with the timeline ... April 1898: Milner attends a banquet in Bloemfontein with President Steyn (of the Orange Free State).Wrench, "Alfred Lord Milner", pg. 193 They have good relations. February 1899: Milner forwards a petition with 21,000 signatures from English residents of Johannesburg to Secretary of State Chamberlain. He demands a 5-year residency requirement for Uitlanders (English citizens working in the South African Republic) to become citizens of the Transvaal and Orange Free State.Wrench, pg. 198 Joseph Chamberlain authorizes him to negotiate with President Kruger.Wrench, pg. 199 However, the Boers refuse to offer the English living in their territory any political rights, with Kruger sticking to his hardline policy. This will lead to war 8 months later.Wrench, pgs. 202-207 13 Aug 99: Milner receives a promising peace proposal from Jan Smuts, the Transvaal State Attorney General.Amery, Leo, "My Political Life", pg. 99 However, its terms were later changed, and hardened, by President Kruger.Amery, Leo, "Days of Fresh Air", pg. 122 Despite Smuts' statement on 25 August that his position was that of the government, and guaranteed, he was wrong.Levi, N. "Jan Smuts, being a character sketch...", pg. 45 8 Sep 99: Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain rejects the new Boer peace proposal, but accepts the original one from Smuts. At the same time the British Cabinet orders 10,000 troops to South Africa, in addition to 12,000 already there, to defend against a possible Boer attack.Amery, "My Political Life", pgs. 100-101 19 Sep 99: Milner sends British troops to protect Kimberley (Cape Colony), an obvious target if the Boers choose to attack.Amery, "My Political Life", pg. 104
Timeline addressed Because of controversy in England surrounding the Boer War, and the part High Commissioner Milner played in that war, author Cecil Headlam volunteered to sort through and organize Lord Milner's papers after his death in 1925, and to publish all of his correspondence with England when he was High Commissioner of South Africa from 1897 thru 1902. The result was a large, two volume set called "The Milner Papers", published in 1931 and 1933, respectively. With help from this work, the timeline below addresses Milner's other actions for the year prior to the outbreak of hostilities in the Second Boer War. This timeline reconciles one presented in "A Boer War Timeline" (see External Link). This timeline is in bold, dates prefaced with a star are difficult to verify, or not present, and where a cited source cannot be found, it is shown for future verification.
2 Nov 98: Start for home in Scot.Headlam, pg. 289
18 Nov 98: LM arrives in London on a working holiday. (Packenham, pgs. 30-31) Alfred contemplated making the trip at the beginning of August, but political events in SA delayed him. He needs to get his eyes checked, but more importantly, he wants a few hours of private talk with Chamberlain.Headlam, pgs. 287, 289
22 Nov 98, 2:30pm: LM meets with Chamberlain ("case for working up a crisis").(TP, pg. 31) Alfred puts the case for "working up to a crisis" to his boss, given Kruger's overwhelming election victory, his autocratic and reactionary style, his continuing to arm, and his race-oligarchy government.Packenham, pgs. 24-25 However, Chamberlain believes war can be averted and cautions patience, fallout from the Jameson Raid, the ultimate British aim being union, not war, and if war was to come, Kruger must start it.Packenham, pg. 17