THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1908. THE TRANSVAAL CONSTITUTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13504, 30 January 1906, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1908. THE TRANSVAAL CONSTITUTION.

Uurtng the past few days we have published cable menaces indicating : that among .t-hfl British residents in Johannesburg ,a feeling of anxiety ar.d even of dismay exists concerning the proposals of the Liberal Government' With regard to the Constitution the Transvaal.Whether the disquiet of we hear is widespread among the British population or whether it is not confined in large measilre to the Hand mine owners may be a doubtful point, and there may : also bo some room for question whether

the apprehensions that'havo beer expressed, are entirely justified. 'flu point is whether tile Transvaal is yel l'ipe for the institution of full responsible' government. As to that, the .Government in Downing street should be in the best position to form a sound judgment: it knows the circumstances, and it has, if it cares to utilise it, tin: benefit of official advice from the spot. Unfortunately, however, the Transvaal Constitution has been a subject of political controversy at Home, and one hide shows 110 hesitancy in combating mid, in virtually reversing tho decision of tho other. If the Unionist Administration bad remained in power wo lyny tiiko it for granted that a reasonable trial. <of tiio system of representative government, provided for in tho Constitution vj'liich was promulgated in the month of April last, would havo been regarded as a necessary preliminary to the' establishment of responsible govoniWent, 'i'lie Liberal Government, before it lias niado its office warm, 'lias come to the conclusion, on the, other hand, that tlioi'e is no occasion for delay in the conference N of full powers of selfgovernment upon the TranSvaal. For that is apparently what tho determination of tho new Administration is. ])iJameson, Premier of Cape Colony, whose references to the subject aro accompanied by n degree of circumstance which suggests that he has some authority for what he says, has stated that representative government- will be' granted to the Transvaal in a few days, and that responsible government will be in full swing by August. In substance, though not in tonus, this statement supports the inference which The Times has unwillingly . drawn', that the Transvaal is to have responsible government- without the transition stage of representative government. Any trial that eonld be given to the system of representative government between now and August would bo worthless, especially if any responsible government is in any case to be in operation in August-. It would be impossible, in these circumstances, that the system of representative governiueht. could be fairly and adequately tested in the colony. But representative government has invariably been introduced in newlyacquired or newlysettled responsible government is established. AVell-recog-nised lines are followed in tlie evolutionary process. There is, first of all, the stage of the Crown colony, and after that collies tho stage in which a nominated Legislative Council, composed partly of official members and partly of lion-official members, of whom the latter aro ill the. minority, is established. Then follows the stage in which tho Legislative Assembly consists of a minority of official members and of a majority of elected returned upon a franchise prescribed in the Constitution. By this we understand representative government. It is rightly described' by The Times as the transition stage precedent to the establishment of responsible government, under which the executive, > while theoretically responsible to the, representative of the Crown, is constitutionally and practically responsible to Parliament. The difference bet-ween a system of representative government and a system of responsible government does not consist, therefore, merely in the substitution under the latter system of elected members for tho nominated official element which is recognised in the former. There is a. wider and deeper difference. "Pull self-government"—which is synonymous with responsible government-— 1 " as it i? understood in the United Kingdom and in the self-governing colonies implies, and involves ill practice, party' Government," Mr Lyttelton said in the despatch covering the issue of letters patent last year for the Transvaal Constitution, —"that is, control both of administration and legislation by the' political leaders of the party which holds a majority in the Legislature." T T nder a system of representative government, however, the power of voting money and :>P imposing taxation is withheld from the Legislature. . The reason is obvious: if the Lepislnture could vote or refti.se taxes it could make and unmake the Executive Government—a power which is reserved for' the Legislature of a colony enjoy'ing responsible government. The distinction, between a system of representative government-, such as was granted by the Balfour Ministry to the Transvaal, hut has not yet. been put into practice there, and a system of responsible government is, as will be seen, fundamental and substantial. The !nte Ministers in Great Uritain considered that the Transvaal should by a wise jiul .loyal exercise of the powers conferred upon it' under the system of representative government prove itsell ivorthy of the receipt of the amplev powers which the system of responsible Sjoverumcrtt conveys. They considered it. inexpedient to grant the request, ol ft laijgc section—perhaps a majority—ol the people of* tho colony for tho iinmeliate establishment..of responsible gorernment because they felt-, since the Memories of the war have not- ceased to be fresh, that tliero was reason to feai that the leaders of the defeated rncc still cherished ideals which wero incompatible with tho welfare and. the peace )f the Empii;e. 11 Party government," Mi kyttelton' write, "would most probably mean government by one race or tlie other, It will become more practicable Ivlien the two races have, with e'qual rights of citizenship, lived and acted somewhat longer together,, and when jitter memories have become softened jyi the healing effect of time." -It is possible that the dangers of the pxistence of racial animosity may iiave been • over-estimated bv Mi Lyttcltoii. Lord Elgin, who has uicceeded Mr Lyttelton at the Colonial 3ffice, presumably thinks, so, and Lord Elgin is a Sagacious man. But unquestionably there are grave risks in the idoptioti .of the course which the Liberal joverhmeut lias,' apparently without rrry special consideration,, resolved-upon pursuing, . " ". .