SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

Northern Advocate, 19 April 1915, Page 6

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

BOER COLONEL'S STIRRING SPEECH. Nothing has helped to bring into clearer relief the difference between the Hertzog party and the supporters of General Botha than the vehe-

ment attacks by ..General Hertzog and others of the "two stream" policy upon the Botha Administration during the present sittings of the South African parliament. A notable speech was delivered in March by a Boer officer—ColonelCommandant Metz, who, in December last, with a strong force, drove the rebels under De Wet in confusion from a mountainous part 6f the Transvaal. In this encounter several were killed on both sides, and many wounded. In the course of his speech the commandant said:—Frivolous reasons were given for the outbreak of the rebellion, such as General Hertzog's expulsion from the Cabinet, the expedition to German S.W. Africa, and Lord Gladstone's not dissolving Parliament. Such reasons would not have the slightest effect on the people outside, because they knew the men too well who had referred to reasons. There had been one goal of those who had gone into rebellion; and that was to regain their independence and to have'the republic re-estab-lished. He had thought they would have made an attempt now to heal the wounds and get over their difficulties, and try to build up what-had been demolished. But they found this old story raked up which they had been listening to for the; last three years. The hon. member proceeded to quote from the letter of General Dβ Wet to Mr. N. W. Serfontein that what they (the rebels) were fighting for was their independence, and what did Mr. Serfontein say in his letter to General Botha, but that they were fighting for something that was dear to them, that was their independence? Gen-! eral Beyers had striven for that, too. As to the reason given by General Hertzog that th e rebellion had been due to the wrong policy of the Gov-. ernment and to commandeering, he (the hon. member) was not* going to speak of the Free State, but was going to refer to certain districts of j the Transvaal such as Waterberg, Zoutpansberg, and Rustenberg. It had been said that there

HAD BEEN COMMANDEERING;

but men had come forward freely, and they were stil getting- people coming forward in Rustenburg, and these peope wanted to go to German S.W. Africa. Rebellion had broken out in two of these disticts, and that had not been caused by commandeering. No. it was untrue to say that the rebellion had been caused by that.

Colonel-Commandant Mentz went on to say that he must answer what had been said as to the murder of "unfortunate Fourie." Fourie had worn the uniform of the Union Forces, and had committed the great-

est crime a soldier could commit, and had betrayed his own people, lie had been responsible for the killing of forty of his own Boer people. He had been fairly and properly tried, and yet they must hear that day that "unfortunate Fourie" was murdered. The rebellion was over, and still he was responsible for the death of twelve Afrikanders. What had "unfortunate Fourie"* said when ■lit: was captured? Had he said that he was sorry that so many of his own people had been killed? No, What he had said was that he was gbrry he could not have

V SHOT MORE ENGLISHMEN. That was all the remorse that "unfortunate Fourie" expressed as far as he (th e hon. member) knew. Iγ* conclusion the Commandant asked how could they justify a man breaking his word of honour after he had been fully trusted? Four years after peace had been concluded the Boers had been fully trusted with Responsible Government, and got theif own Government; and now there were those who had broken their word of honour and gone in rebjellion against their own people and Government. That could not be justified. The rebellion was wrong, and he would continue to say that until his last days. (Cheers.)

(It was in the course of this debate that Mr. Quinn, one of the Johannesburg members, said that he would like to shoot General Hertzog.)