Show REITZS REPUTATION Ho Denies Arguments Made by Salisbury Pretoria March i = State Secretary Reltzs refutation 01 jjuiu ouiisuury3 arguments in the relY I to the Bloem fontein joint note was Issued today Mr Hell says The British Government after the Bloemfonlein conference endeavored to enforce by threats certain changes In the Internal government of the Transvaal Trans-vaal republic contrary to the London convention They also Imported troops in great numbers and broke off negotiations negotia-tions with a threat to take their own means to remove the grievances of their subjects After waiting a fortnight while an army corps was prepared and the re serves were being called out bv the ttrltbJh President Ste Steyn asked the reason rea-son of these proceedings Sir Alfred Mllner refused lo reply Meanwhile 1 Mr Chamberlain In his speeches showed the world that Eng land hud decided on war Accordingly the Transvaal republic addressed to the British Government a demand for the withdrawal of their troops as otherwise It would accept the presence 1 of the troops aM a declaration of war That was not necessarily intended as a message mes-sage of war Concerning the armaments Mr Hells says These wore bought openly In I England and In Europe and tho High Commissioner boasted full knowledge oC i I I them at the BloemfonleJn conference i I and also full dcscrlptlono of these arnm I mcntH were found among the oMicers j papers at Dundee I Both the army and the ultimatum i were protective measures subsequent to the raid and to the discovery through i I concealed cables that British Cabinet Ministers were Implicated 1 In the attempt at-tempt to filch away the indepcndcnce of the republic Now all doubt Is removed by Lord Salisburys telegram Tho burghers jiiusb fight for ltell national Existence trustlnif tliatAqd will defend the right I The correspondent of the Dally Mull telegraphing from here Wednesday says Mr Holtzs statement has been i published throughout i the t republic bull I will not he forwarded to Lord Salisbury Conversations T hae hud with the I highest State officers show that the republic re-public was prepared to grant substantial substan-tial reforms and concessions until the receipt of Lord Salisburys telegram As I one of the highest statesmen remarked Better I half an egg than none but better I bet-ter none than a rotten egg |