Native Opinion Office,
King Willm’s Town
15 August 87

My dear Mr Chesson,

The present mail brings you the Native Opinion with the petition of the native of this Colony to Her Majesty the Queen, also an article thanking Mr A McArthur MP for the services he has rendered our cause in the House of Commons.

I trust you will carefully look through both of them and turn them to useful account. We mean to fight Bondism to the bitter end, as we are decidedly of opinion that, as Mr Gladstone has well said, ‘it is the beginning of evils that are most dangerous ones.’ The scene of the contest is to be England, and we look to you to keep it up. The petition with some not very material alterations will be largely signed. We are holding meetings throughout the native districts to keep the people … with what is being done to solicit help for the expenses of sending the native deputation to London. As I have said in the article we trust you will not rest until the truth is known as the Bond agents at Cape Town seem to be urging on their ends by means of falsity. Let the Queen in Council know all the facts of the total disfranchisement of natives before she endorses the assent of Sir Hercules Robinson who, I am ashamed to say, has shown himself callous to the sufferings of the natives sacred rights of citizenship were given the natives by the Queen and it is, the natives contend, the Queen that should take them away. This is the position we take up.

I have taken the liberty to send the Imvo with the petition to the leading London newspapers including the Daily News, and I trust you will get the papers to notice the subject.

With kind regards,
I remain, yours most sincerely,
J. Tengo Jabavu