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48.
Midlothian nrinai lan and the first Boor War 1884.. 1881
The thomoa of pro. and antis- Imperialism were rohearo®d in
1881 an the occasion of the ",. clash between a liberals multi-
racial Imperialism and a racialist ropublicL icn. " C i)
Boors in the Transvaal had been given their independence in 1854
at the Sand River Convention but from, tho 186o''c onwards it
was considered desirable for Imperial nocurity in South Africa
that the Republics should be federated with Cape and 27atal
The
Colonioa. To Britich statesmen the Cape was important an a
route to India and the East. The opportunity to absorb the
Transvaal occurred in 1877 when the Doers were threatened with
defeat by native triboa# Lord Carnarvon the Colonial Socretary
ordered the annexation of the Dutch Republics but plans for
federation had still not boon implemented, owing to the
intransigence of the Cape Dutch1 bytho Genoral Election year
of 1880. The Liberal campaign was based on righteous
indignation at Conservative foreign policy. Gladstone in his
Midlothian tours reiterated the principles of peace and non-
intervention abroad# equal rights for an nations and belief in
the Concert of Europa.
(2)
(1) XobifBon, ß+n].
1aLbor & Denny, 41! ait,
(2) F. I4a nua, dlndatono -1
The Liberal Party had been portly
p. 53.
a bio (ML n ft, London 19549 p. 261 of aog"