blood for the country; but people who came here only to make money and that only did not deserve the franchise.  Let them look at that book of signatures on the table with the 70,000 names.  Who were they? (Laughter, and cries of ‘Too much.’) Well, 38,000 then.  He had ‘too much.’  They were the persons, the millionaires side by side with mining workers whom Mr. Jeppe spoke of, but where did they find these people side by side?  Nowhere!  No, he would not grant an extension of the franchise.

The PRESIDENT said he wished to say a few words on the subject, and the first thing he had to say was that those persons who signed the monster petition were unfaithful and not law-abiding.

Mr. JEPPE:  I deny that.

The PRESIDENT:  Yes—­I repeat unfaithful.

Mr. JEPPE (excitedly):  I say they are not!

The CHAIRMAN:  Order, order!

The PRESIDENT then endeavoured to qualify his remarks by reasserting that these people were disrespectful and disobedient to the law, because they were not naturalized.  ‘Now,’ asked His Honour triumphantly, ’can you contradict that?  No, you cannot.  No one can.  The law says that they must be naturalized, and they are not.’  Speeches had been made that afternoon, His Honour proceeded, urging that the rich should be made burghers and not the poor.  Why not the poor as well as the rich, if that were the case?  But he was against granting any extension, saving in cases like that he mentioned the other day.  Those who went on commando were entitled to it, but no others.  Those persons who showed they loved the country by making such sacrifices were entitled to the franchise, and they should get it.  These memorials were being sent in year by year, and yearly threats were made to them if they did not open the flood-gates.  If the dam was full before the walls were washed over, a certain portion of the water had to be drained off.  Well, this had been done in the case of commando men.  They were the clean water which was drained off and taken into the inner dam which consisted of clean water, but he did not wish to take in the dirty water also.  No, it had to remain in the outer dam until it was cleaned and purified.  The Raad might just as well give away the independence of the country as give all these new-comers, these disobedient persons, the franchise.  These persons knew there was a law, but they wished to evade it; they wished to climb the wall instead of going along the road quietly, and these persons should be kept back.  He earnestly cautioned the Raad against adopting Mr. L. Meyer’s proposal.

Mr. D. JOUBERT said excitement would not avail them.  They had to be calm and deliberate.  Now, what struck him was first who would give them the assurance, were they to admit the 35,000 persons who petitioned them for the franchise, that they would maintain the independence of the country inviolate and as a sacred heritage?  They had no guarantee.  He could not agree with the request of the petition (here the speaker became excited, and gesticulating violently, continued), and he would never grant the request if the decision was in his hands.