DEATH OF HOFMEYR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 641, 19 October 1909, Page 7

DEATH OF HOFMEYR.

LEADER OF THE 'A.FRIKANDEE BOND. Tolcßtttph.—l'reas Ap^nrlntinn.—OopyrlKhti' . : : ' .. . I London, October 17...'' • Mr. Jan'H. IJofmeyr died suddenly of'angina pectoris, at Whitehall, Court,, after.undergoing a "cure" in Germany; The body has been embalmed, and will"bo,interred in Capo Colony. Mr. Ilpfn-.eyr was Gl .years of ; age.''' '. ... ; : : Y r :.; "'. CAREER.j ::.;::; : Mr. Jan H. Hofnieyr, South African journalist and politician, was,the leader of.the Afrikander Bond, and had often represented Capo Colpny at colonial and other conferences.' Tor. some years '.Mr. Cecil Kh<ides found.'him ■a' staunch ally; but after the Jnmeson Kaid he broke with-Mr. Rhodes,:and in:the eleotions of 1893, as wire-puller of the Bond caucus, was aorive in his opposition to,him. At one time Mr. Hofmeyr advocated total separation of !soroh Africa from England; but after the Transvaal! War "of 1882 he acted as mediator between the Boers and the Cape Government, especially over the Swaziland quostion, and it .was through 'his,influence.that a solution of the diffloulty was arrived at.". At'the'lntercolonial Conference of 1887 he moved a resolu-tion-in favour of (in Imperial Customs Union; and .this was again brought into 'favourable notioeat the. Imperial Conference of 1807 during tho discussion on inter-Imperial'preferen-tial trade. The "Encyclopaedia Britannica" writes 6f;Hpfmeyr: :'■•" •■'■ ! ' .:-•■ -■ ■;_ By birth, -education,- and sympathies a .typical Dutoh Afrikander, he '.becanio almost from his , first-entrance into the Capo Parliament -in 1879, the real leader of the- Dutch party. ..Yet he only' held loffice for'Ysix months—as Minister without portfolio in'the Scanlan Ministry, from May' to November,' [1881. ,Ho held no' official post in the colony. ./. . His cnief impor'anca as a publio man is derived from'his connection I with tlie. Afrikander-Bond. His control over this organisation enabled him for many years, while free from the responsibilities of office,'to make and unmake Ministers at his will, .and earned for him tho name of. "Cabinet-maker-of South Africa.".'i ,'.' .'... .•"'.' ' In the Becliuanaland difficulty, of ISfii Mr. Hofmeyr threw all, the influence of the Bond the scale in favour of the Transvaal. But I in the next fewjfcars he began to drift away I from President Kruger. He resented the reck-, less,, disregard of' Cape interests involved in Kruger'3 fiscal, policy;, ho feared that: the Transvaal, : after its' sudden leap into prosperity Upon the gold discoveries'of 18SS, might overshadow all other Dutch influences in South Africa; above all, he was convinced, as he showed by his action at the I/mdon conference, that tho protection of the British Navy was indispensable to South Africa, and he set his face ajfainst Krug'er's intrigues with Germany, and his avowed , intention of ncquirmg an outlot to the sea in order to got into touch with foreign Powers. In 1890 he joined foroes t with Mr. Ceoil Ehodes.' who became Premier of Capo Colony,.with the support of thp Bond.: : . ''■■'■ ■ •. His co-operation with Rhodes bernme, of course, impossible after, tho Jameson Raid.