Letter from Walter Walsh, clergyman, to the Secretary of the Manchester Transvaal Committee, describing the items he has enclosed, the first being [a pamphlet] which may help in his district [campaigning against the war]. The second refers to an account [from the Dundee Advertiser, 6 Oct 1899] of a meeting he organised [in Dundee] on the war the previous night [5 Oct 1899], where the [anti-war] resolution, despite strong and organised opposition, was passed by 3 to 2. Walsh criticises the attitudes of public figures towards the war, and the response of many of those campaigning for peace. He believes the mass of Dundee citizens are [against the war], despite the presence of [Arthur] Balfour, politician in the city the week before [to receive the freedom of the city of Dundee]. Walsh describes his campaigning efforts against the conflict, and his desire to offer financial assistance to the Transvaal Committee in Manchester, offering to speak at any public meetings if required.
Also enclosed are 2 pamphlets and a newspaper cutting.
MTC/27A is a newspaper cutting from the Dundee Advertiser, 6 Oct 1899, entitled 'Peace Meeting in Dundee; A Peace Resolution; Opinions of Old Soldiers; Lively Proceedings', and contains an account of the meeting organised by Walter Walsh, minister of the Gilfillan Memorial Church, Dundee, on 5 Oct 1899. The meeting was attended by those both against and in favour of the war, with Walsh condemning the British public's enthusiasm for war, criticising the right of new settlers to determine the constitution, and warning of racial war between groups in South Africa.
MTC/27B is a pamphlet entitled, 'Shall We Destroy the Transvaal Republic and Cause Civil War in South Africa?', produced by the Transvaal Committee in London, outlining their fear of conflict between the British, Dutch and French, and potentially native populations, and any war spreading into Cape Colony. It describes the migrations of people, and disputes over the franchise which brought [Britain] into conflict with the Transvaal, and urges Britain to respect the independence and sovereignty of the Republic.
MTC/27C is a pamphlet published by the Transvaal Committee, reprinted from the Daily News, and contains two letters sent to the Daily News by P.W. Clayden, Honorary Secretary of the Liberal Forwards, on 16 and 21 June 1899. The first letter focusses on the claims of the Outlanders [Uitlanders] in the Transvaal, including their complicity in the Jameson Raid, and a comparison between an offer of an extension of the franchise by [Paul] Kruger, president of the Transvaal, matching the existing arrangements in Britain. Clayden notes how the actions of [Joseph] Chamberlain, politician, and [Alfred] Milner, public servant and politician, may precipitate war with the Transvaal, racial conflict, the ruin of the gold-mining industry and ending any prospect of integration between the British and Dutch across South Africa.
The second letter clarifies the legal position of the Outlanders in relation to the franchise, affirming the Dutch peoples' right to independence from British interference.