The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY. 10, 1910. SOUTH AFRICAN COALITION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY. 10, 1910. SOUTH AFRICAN COALITION.

It may not bo amiss to discuss briefly ' tho several phases that, tho vexed question of. coalition has seen in. South; Africa , since the . Union. The Conference which drafted the Act of Union' closed with ' a tacit agreement, between the leaders that the . firet Union Cabinet should be a coalition of both races. Public opinion quickly expressed approval of the idea, and it undoubtedly influenced many in favour of the Union !. who previously were hostile, to it, or lukewarm. The' Bill passed through all .the colonial Parliaments, and finally General,.Botha, at the last meeting that, he addressed in Pretoria r prior to leaving for England to attend: on the ratification : of the Union, publicly expressed his' opinion that: De. Jameson ought to be invited to becoino the first Premier; Before the delegates had left London on their homeward journey, however, and without a word of ex-, pl.ination, ; Geneeal ; ■ Botha : had changed, his attitude, and . stated that the;first Cabinet would ibe formod on racial, lilies. This unexpected news Icaußed general dismay amongst Anglo-Africans, and was so influentiaUy voiced' that' it became possible to make, organised efforts to save tho original understanding, which ■ efforts have been continued to tho present day. Since General Botha's • announcement, tho Dutch," as the masters of the situation, have had the , game very much to themselves. , It is known, however, that trouble quickly arose over the question' of who'should be the first' Premier ; that is to say, whether Gape Town or Pretoria should predominate. .The fight has now been raging for about four months, is,' seemingly, as far from a finish as ever, 1, and while it lasts there is always''"'a chance for coalition- Perhaps it may bo open to suggestion that Geneeal Botha has been hard pressed at times! Ho has more than onco of late stated his intention to disband the Hot Volk and Orange Unio organisations, apparently with the idea of enlisting Anglo-African support. The knowledge of tho, Dutch character possessed by Anglo-Afri-cans, however, has probably Jwarned them that though General Botha could, in name, and in perfect, good faith, disband , these organisations, not oven his great influence amongst his fellow countrymen could bring about their disbandment - in - fact. Thoy would live in faot, If not in ':A

name, and the creation and development of all Dutch political sentiments would be carried out aa heretofore. So, too, Anglo-Africans havo failed to be impressed at the present juncture by tho statement that "the best thing for South Africa is a strong Government and a strong. Opposition," for British Transvaialers know quite well that, however small the Government's majority may be, it is an absolutely solid majority, never flinching, never wavering, and that the Government, like its supporters, is deaf to argument. • - - -. ' ■

That a Coalition Governmeni formed of an equal number of th two races, is the .best thing for th young Union is beyond doubt. Oh' of the most palpable results claimed probably correctly, for the Confer enco was that the close associatioi together of the British and Dutcl leaders, had created between them i respect for, and understanding of each other; and each other's views that had never existed before. Wit! both : parties, seemingly anxious to strengthen this understanding, i seemed, and still Beems, clear tha a Coalition Cabinet was, and is the natural mode of.promoting tli. good work. Further association ii the strenuous task of starting.tfo machinery of a brand-now Constitu tion, ' for the of whicl each of them was equally respou sible, could hardly fail, to deopei those ■ feelings 'of mutual respec already created amongst the lead ers. The coalition idea ha other seeds of good in' it/: Given th existence of a non-racial Govern inent for the first!four or five year of the new Union!s, career, it 1 is i reasonable hope that by the!end o the period such natural and health; divisions of interest will have arise! amongst : the rank 'and, file as wil complete the destruction, of thi racial feeling as a factor; in th< government of the country. Ant last, but hardly least-, a non-racia Government will inspire confident in the breast of the English investor The two great needs of South Afric; at; the present time are the cessatioi of race-hatred, and the introductioi of 'capital. 'A .Coalition : ' Govern inent, \ stamped with the approva of ' theßritish in Africa:,, will ' in spire . completeconfidence in J ,th< mind of the.i'investihg public a' Homo, .and as fast as the. country i: ready for it, the; capital will b( round... The formation of a purelj Dutch combination will rekindle the ishcs' of race-feeling,': "and,: becausc jf that, must greatly retard, even i! it does not entirely-prevent, the influx' of capital, into the country; Che cable news now tells us'that the rransvaal: (and; therefore the Orange River Colony) Dutch i.re .again preoared 'to co-operate with Dk.- Jameson, the leader- of the united AngloAfricans, in - forming a non-party jovernment; 'that: Mr. llereimah ias persuaded the. Bond against the jroject, .and that the .alleged failure if the, coalition is dud 1 to jealliisy of. the Transvaal. The second statement above given is a .curious hversion of fact. Mh. Merriman loes not lead the [ Bond, nor influince it. ■ He is really its puppet. He lolds his position at the will, of tho Bond. His recent speech was, no loubt, made to order of the Bond, i.nd, he has merely. - supplied the 'itriol. Tho reason given for tho upposed weakness' of the coalition iroject is not convincing, for it is .lso tho only reason which has, so ar, saved it:: It may prove eventully that the real '' truth - is, to'' be ead between; tho lines of: Mr, Merjman's speech, and that GENKrAi ioraA's renewed allegiance to. the oalition movement ,is due to his laving realised that a purely racia) Jovernment • would bo unable to iorrow -in England. Should this urmise provo to be correct,'it should ead' to thelformation\ of' a strong Coalition Ministry, whether the Jape come, in or not.