"4. The independence of the High Court shall be established and duly safeguarded. "5. Legislation by simple resolution (_besluit_) of the Volksraad shall be abolished. "6. The free right of public meeting and of forming electoral committees shall be recognised and established. "7. The freedom of speech and of the press shall be assured. "8. All persons shall be secured in their houses, persons, papers, and effects against violation or illegal seizure. "9. The existence of forts and the adoption of other measures intended for the intimidation of the white inhabitants of the country, being a menace to the exercise of the undoubted rights of a free people, shall be declared unconstitutional. "10. Existing monopolies shall be cancelled or expropriated on equitable conditions. "11. Raad members must be fully enfranchised burghers and over twenty-one years of age. Any candidate for the Presidency must be a fully enfranchised burgher over thirty years of age, and have been resident in the country for ten years. "12. All elections shall be by ballot and shall be adequately safeguarded by stringent provisions against bribery and intimidation. "13. All towns with a population of 1000 persons and upwards shall have the right to manage their own local affairs under a general Municipal Act. The registration of voters and the conduct of all elections shall be regulated by local bodies. "14. A full and comprehensive system of State Education shall be established under the control of Local Boards. "15. The Civil Service shall be completely reorganised, and all corrupt officials shall be dismissed from office, and be ineligible for office in the future. "16. Payments from the public Treasury shall only be made in accordance with the Budget proposals approved by the Raad, with full and open publication of the accounts periodically. "17. No person shall become a burgher, and no fresh constituency shall be created except in accordance with the lines herein laid down, and officials shall have no discretionary power in this or any other matter affecting the civil rights of the inhabitants of the country." The Conference was a complete failure. Mr. Kruger obstinately refused to make the proposed concessions, and Sir Alfred Milner would be contented with nothing less. [Illustration: Sir ALFRED MILNER, K.C.B., High Commissioner for South Africa. Photo by Elliott & Fry, London.] The President afterwards agreed to grant a "seven years' Franchise" on terms that were scarcely practicable, while the Secretary of State for the Colonies held out for the five years' Franchise at first demanded. The bargaining was pursued for some weeks with considerable animation, and in the end Mr. Kruger offered to allow the five years' franchise on what he knew to be the impossible condition, that the question of suzerainty should be entirely dropped.