PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS,

Otago Witness, Issue 2253, 6 May 1897, Page 51

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS,

SoafSi Afk'iea and Its Troubles.

Sou/a Atricaa jrifaivo do not look v-ar> bright; cut. that wdy jnsfc now. Buraonr,* oi Delagoa Bay being leased by the British for half ft million a year ; of (rcops and mnmuons of war being cent to the Cape ; of bofcn Fr&ucfl and Germany giving assistance t(2 \he Ti'ttiisviial to assume the det'ensivfi ct off^Ecive, accordiog as yi« look at it — si; poiuij to tha only way o? clearing the atmo-

About si fortnight ago I read an article gm SouUi Africa in the. Weatminster Beview. To Is written by one Intimately aoquaintaci Tvith South African affairs, and he is anything bat kindij disposed to r the B<mt\ African Gomp-iuy, which has" existed only >.<> cariy out Cecil Ithodes'B policy. He au^. h?,s u'Jitfile to say on the Transvaal difficulty. Numarous Rriicies have also appeared jatii • son; »3 for the Boera aad some against. VV ■ :.;ro vra <o belieTe?

Lsfc ua hea what; tbe writer nr.d&r uo Ims to say. Fir^t he notes tbe gx^ac smp-.j anct» the Cap 9 has assumed within the pu^ few years. It isn't long ago since £>o'.i'.> Africa, was- almost unknown, and was vo^r. a .rather uaoless and tronblesorua coaetr.;', Jnha'oJtafted by natives and ignorant; DctcN mec,-but now no other British poesaßaioa v ao closely watched or commands so muob attention.

We all know the history of the Goerhow they trekked through the Gr<safc Karroo and over the boundless plainw, as the children o£ Israel did through the wilderness ; hot?.', smrrounded by enemies on all hands, fchey look upon themselves as God's chosen people, because, being men of one Book, they sac bo many resemblances between themselves and the only people they know tha history of ; and how they look upon the cities that tk.3 inflow of Oatlanders have called into existence, -with their schemes, and sins, and frivolities, as a modem counterpart of the Cities of the Plains. And we know, too, that such is their personal belief in the jcterferenco of a personal God, they would not be in the least surprised if an angel came down and rained fire and brimstone on the cities they abominate.

And, knowing these things, we cannofc wonder at them, wishing to keep control of their territories in their own hands, but the writer says that they would be willing to allow Oatlanders equal citizenship if m»s.ns could 'be devised to effectually distinguish between the desirable Outlandorg and the exploiting millionaires. The greater part of the present agita-tion is the bitter outcry of the outcast millionaires, who are using the just grievances of honourable and desirable Outlanders to further their capitalistic schemes. Formerly, when the whole of the country was devoted to pastoral pursuits. anyonedeßiringthe* rights of citizenship could get them without any difficulty ;. but «nee the main industry has become gold mining the country has been invaded by hordes of foreigners — Outlanders — intent only on exploiting its wealth and draining its resources. These have been clamouring for a share in the government, not as permanent citizens imbued with patriotism, but as men bent oa

acquiring every means that will enable them to carry out their schemes. So it will be seen that the Boers are in a difficulty. How can redress be got or given? The writer says that the Boers have formed a second chamber with reform tendencies, and that the First Volksraad may refer to it questions more directly concerning Outlanders, such as road making, post^and telegraph reforms, the granting of copyrights and patents, the conditions governing rights and duties of companies, bankruptcy, civil, and criminal laws, &c. JBut the second chamber, so far as I can make out, is not composed of a majority of Oatlanders, nor are the questions I have mentioned necessarily referred to it.

In concluding the part of the article dealing with the Transvaal the writer evidently anticipates a war ; so a caution is given :—: — " To coerce the Boers by force of arms might precipitate disaster to the empire little dreamt of"; and "The war must be unmistakably a just one and must carry South Africa with us, for a South African Federation is inevitable for or against us, but it must not be forced on suspicious and unwilling communities by politicians and financiers in a hurry."

A reason is given why a South African Federation is a necessity even more than a Canadian or Australasian one. In Canada and. Australia each of the colonies has its own seaboard ; but the Orange Free State, the Transvaal, Rhodesia, and Blitish BGcb.uanaland have no ports, therefore there is a necessity for union on railway, customs, telegraph, post office, and other matters necessary for the well being of each v

In the' Contemporary Beview for March there appears an article entitled " The Chartered Company in South Africa : A Review and Criticism." This hardly touches on the Transvaal, but, as is natural, coming from a missionary who has worked' years among them, the Eov. J. Mackenzie deals exhaustively with the treatment meted out to the natives by the company's officials.

At the outset he leads us to infer that the company exists purely to make money, and it isn't particular how it does it. It does no mining itself, but claims half of every mine discovered and pegged out, and it encourages the flotation of companies, though they are. known to be valueless: the company comes in, hqwever, as " first robber," and makes Bure of its share of the spoils. It took possession of Mashonaland to protect the Mashonas from the Matabeles, and yet the Mashonaß were the first to rebel. Why? Then, when the Matabeles invaded •Mashonaland in one of their periodical raids Matabeleland was annexed, and tbe Matabeles bribed into submission by being made a native police and mounted armed constabulary. And these were among tbe first to turn their guns against the white man in the late war. Why ?

Several reasons are given. Their wives aud daughters were insulted. Natives had their lands forfeited, aud they were driven fee live in unhealthy marsh lands. Proud indunas were humiliated by being commanded, and being made, to carry out the company's orders. The cattle had to be numbered by tbe indunas, and 50 bead from district driven to Buluwayo and other company centres for the use of tbe officials. Requisitions for men and cattle were made arbitrarily, and the chief?, hitherto absolute, had to supply forced labour and cattle whenever the white men demanded them. The demand for cattle for tbe company and the settlers used up the enormous amount of 200,000 bead, leaving only 80,000. Then at a swoop half of these were taken and the remaining branded with native brands, but the very act of branding on the command of the whites seemed to signify to the natives that these too were in some way taken by the whites also. Needy natives were relieved, but had to submit to slavery in return ; children were " apprenticed " to the whites, and so tbe recital goes on — a recital which somehow I cannot help thinking is a pretty true one. We are capable of anything when gold is the stake. In the last war with the Matabeles didn't a couple of Englishmen murder a messenger of peace from Lobengula, pocket the peace offering in money he brought, and allow a party of Englishmen to meet the death a continuance of the war brought on 1

Another article lauds the company as much as the others cry it down. And no doubt it hat opened up territory and added to the British possessions when the British Government of itself would have done neither. The Boers, too, are spoken of bitterly. Oatlandera have no citizen rights, and pay most of the taxes; the mining industry is crippled by taxation andmonoplies ; the taxes raised from Outlanders are spent ja buying French and -German munitions of war and in building forts to command the very centres of the cities the Oatlanders are

in ; bankers are refusing to advance money owing to ths uncertainty of events; polls are kept open when an Ontlander sympathiser is likely to get into Parliament, and the booths swamped by a flying squadron of voters who mass en any point ; sympathising voters are strnck off the roll ; proclamations are issued and laws passed in opposition to the Constitution of the Kepublic ; letters are opened, newspapers suppressed, and telegrams" corrected " — anything and everything seems to be done to hinder the Outlander. What is it going to end in 7

I have written on South Africa more than once before ; ao there is do necessity for me to write more, for I think you ought to have a fair idea now of the state of affairs there.