Edmund Garrett (1865-1907) was ‘n lid van die familie wat vooraanstaande feministe soos Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson en Millicent Garrett Fawcett opgelewer het. In 1895 word hy aangestel as die redakteur van die Cape Times en behou hy die pos tydens die kritieke tydperk van die Jameson-inval, wat gelei het tot die Suid-Afrikaanse oorlog. Hy was ‘n ywerige imperialis en het noue verhoudings met Sir Alfred Milner, goewerneur van die Kaap, en Dr Jane Waterston gevorm. Sy briewe aan sy niggies bied ‘n intieme en lewendige weergawe van die lewe in Kaapstad tot 1899, toe hy weens sy gesondheid gedwing is om terug te keer na Engeland.
Edmund Garrett in 1895
Alfred Milner het getuig dat Garrett, deur sy werk by die Cape Times ‘n besonderse invloed op die gang van plaaslike sake gehad het. Sy posisie in Suid-Afrikaanse politiek het so gegroei dat hy basies gedwing was om, buiten sy verpligtinge as redakteur van die Cape Times, ook ‘n lid van parlement te word.
Garrett se politiese teenstaanders en diegene wat nie met sy beleid saamgestem het nie, het nie sy aansienlike invloed ontken nie, maar het hom wel in onvleiende terme beskryf. Sommige, soos Olive Schreiner, het die blaam vir die uitbreek van die oorlog tussen die republieke en die Britse Ryk in Oktober 1899 gedeeltelik voor Garrett se deur geplaas.
Rhoda Garrett spreek ‘n vroueregte-vergadering toe in Londen (1872)
Na hy Cambridge universiteit verlaat, begin hy sy loopbaan by die Pall Mall Gazette in Londen. Hy gaan aanvanklik na Suid-Afrika om te herstel van tuberkulose, die siekte wat hom deur sy lewe geteister het tot dit uiteindelik sy dood veroorsaak het. In 1895 word hy aangestel as die redakteur van die Cape Times en in 1898 word hy ook ‘n lid van die Kaapse parlement. Die geweldige fisiese spanning was egter te veel vir sy swak gesondheid. In die somer van 1899 het sy gesondheid permanente skade gelei, en was hy verplig om Suid-Afrika te verlaat weens gevorderde tuberkulose.
Die Garrett Papers bestaan grotendeels uit briewe wat hy tussen 1896 en 1898 aan sy niggie Agnes Garrett geskryf het, en dek dus ‘n groot deel van sy tydperk as redakteur van die Cape Times.
“A Study in Pressure” – Skets deur Garrett wat Kruger, Chamberlain, Rhodes and homself (heel agter), uitbeeld.
Edmund Garrett het beide sy ma en pa op ‘n jong ouderdom verloor. Hy is grootgemaak deur sy halfsuster Rhoda, ‘n dogter uit hul pa se eerste huwelik, en sy twee niggies Millicent en Agnes Garrett. Rhoda en sy niggies was ongeveer twintig jaar ouer as hy. Al drie vrouens was aktief betrokke by die vrouestemreg beweging in Brittanje wat in die 1860s begin het. Na Rhoda se afsterwe en Millicent getrou het, word Edmund Agnes se verantwoordelikheid – sy was “sy ma, suster en vriendin” deur sy lewe.
Agnes Garrett met wie Edmund gekorrespondeer het tussen 1896 en 1898
UITTREKSEL UIT DIE TEKS
[…] Well, the arms had been got in and all was ready except the temper of the men. When that was all right the Rand was to rise and establish itself at Pretoria, and of course as you now see the Chartered Company’s forces, the best fighters in South Africa, were [. . .] at various points for the border and put the thing through, not as charter of course — but as English colonists taking sides in a civil war.’ If done properly there would and could be no bloodshed worth speaking of, and then the fait accompli, — England goes in as umpire, carefully snubs any few Union Jack wavers, and the true Republic of the Transvaal begins by summoning a Conference to get first steps in Federation of the colonies and Republics under own flags. At least that’s my view of the programme. The great thing was to keep both English Government, High Corn-missioner’ and Chartered Company as such, and Rhodes out of it till all was over:’ Rhodes quite ready to face the Cape Dutchmen and carry them with him for uitlander versus Boer if his part was only letting his troops intervene to prevent bloodshed or to see the Revolution home.
All ready but men, on Rand. They not quite. So day put off. That is, the Revolution part found it would take them a week longer to be able to put the rest into the corner where they must take up arms. So they tell Jameson ‘Not yet ready’. (It’s no use denying that concerted action now and will be still less so by you get this.) He, ambitious unscrupulous hothead, jumps to conclusion ‘They’re funking — it will all simmer down — will force their hand’ — and marches in, in spite. Rhodes on Sunday evening, Xmas week, gets wire calmly apprising that Chartered Company forces have begun war on the Transvaal (for that is what it is) in order not to help but to create a revolution!! — Jameson cut wires ‘and by now is either entering Johannesburg or fighting the Boers on the velt both sides armed with such Maxims etc as never get used on both sides in South Africa,’ both absolutely determined, and splendid fighting stuff — the beginning perhaps of a race war in South Africa, perhaps Europe too, such as none can see end of.
Well, it was inevitable. Cat’s out of bag. Rhodes may say and do what he likes, but on Jameson’s luck in the next 4 and 20 hours hangs his career, and perhaps his career in this Colony is past hanging already.
All his years of work, some of it not quite quite clean, thrown away. All our carefully conquered Afrikander sympathy flung into Paul Kruger’s arms.’ Let me tell you the history of one night of my life: Monday 30th Dec 1895. News of Revolution begun hourly expected. I send for Hofmeyr, and after an hour’s bard work, squeeze out of him a word of almost sympathy with uitlander for publication. I know, meanwhile, not from Rhodes, that “something” has begun in Transvaal. Wires blocked: exact news coming in morning.
In consultation with Hamilton and Leonard, who have come down to Cape Town, I concoct a most careful article to secure Afrikander sympathy; the Physician, sent by me, drags by the beard a Dutch master from Normal College to do same into Dutch, ready to print in Dutch and English.
Long wires from Edwards’ at Johannesburg on tension of feeling there, but ignorance of Jameson movement so far: I also ignorant of exact facts.