THE TRANSVAAL ELECTIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13835, 23 February 1907, Page 8

THE TRANSVAAL ELECTIONS.

It cannot be said that the results of . the first Transvaal elections under the ■ new Constitution have failed to justify the generally-formed 1 anticipations. There has been a good deal of heated denunciation of tlio provisions of the Constitution issued by the Imperial 'Government last year in substitution for that framed by the Unionist Administration, so far as they related to the matter of electoral representation. Even so recently, as in December last The Times expressed a conviction that the Government lnid deliberately loaded the electoral dice in favour of tbe Boer minority and against the British majority in the Transvaal. It is difficult, however, to find that there was any substantial justification for this view of the matter. Tho assurance which Lord Selborne, the Governor-General, who is himself a Unionist, offered that the allocation of seats was, in his opinion, as fair and equitable as the complicated circumstances would ' allow, disposes, indeed, of any contention that the Boer was unduly and treacherously, favoured in the settlement contained in the Constitution. The criticism of tho terms of the Constitution was, however, largely based upon the assumption that the conflict at the elections would be developed on racial lines. That assumption liaa not been strictly borne out- by facts. Tho main issues at the polls seeiu to liavo been economic. Thus, we have ( found the Progressive candidates, who received the support of, and in several cases were directly associated with, the great, mining houses, opposed by candidates from tliree separate political camps—Hei Volk, the Nationalists, and tho Labour party. For all practical purposes, however, the three last-mentioned pni'tiea may bo said to represent a coalition for economid reasons against the mining corporations of tho Rand, and, as tho returns that aro to hand show, it has been, as it was expectcd to be, a successful coalition. On the other hand, tliero can bo very little doubt tliat tho interests of tho mining houses will be very effectively represented in tlio Legislative Assembly. Sir Georgo Fiirrar, Sir Percy Fit/.patrick, Sir William van Hulsteyn, Sir A, Wools-Samp-son, and Mr Abe Bailey, who uro among tho successful candidates, may certainly bo relied upon to offer exceedingly strenuous opposition to any legislation that may be proposed which would, in their judgment, he inimical to tho mining industry and to place tho case for the mine-owners in as favourable iv light as it will be possible for anyone to present it. But there is no apparent cause to suppose that the Ministry which will,, it may be assumed, be formed out of tlio combined parliamentary forces of Het Volk and the Nationalists will identify itself' with any reckless or violent policy. It in generally accepted that Sir Richard Solomon will bo the first Premier of tbe Transvaal under the new dispensation. And his presence at the bead of the Ministry will be to a large extent a guarantee that the programme of the Government will be built upon a sound foundation. During the period for which, since the Transvaal became a Crown colony, he filled the office of Attorney-general and senior executive member of the nominated Ministry, he gained in a large measure the confidence of nil'actions of the population. The Progressives were not without hopes that lie would ally, himself with them in the election campaign, and there can be 110 doubt i that if lie had done so ami they bad been successful at the polls a place in a Progressive Ministry would liavo been at • his disposal. That he threw tho whole ! weight of his influence into tlio scale , against the Progressives 19 manifest, , however, from the fact that ha entered

tlio contest for a Pretoria scat against Sir Percy Fitzpatrick. In this contest Sir Richard Solomon was, as our cabled advices have informed us, defeated, and wo must conclude that he was nominated also for some other constituency, for which lie was returned. His presence at the head of the Ministry, even though the majority of its supporters may bo Boers, should really represent sufficient security that the Transvaal is not to be handed over to the tender mercies of disloyal people who will exploit it to the utter prejudice of Dritish interests.