THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1625, 17 December 1912, Page 6

THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

On a numbsr of occasions we liavo directed attention to the unhappy Btate of affairs existing in South African politics under the Botha Ministry. General Botha, wheivhu formed his Cabinet, compromised between the ostvornc old-timo Baor element and tho Moderates, He

chose as his colleagues men of bot.li I classes, and fondly hoped that the outcome of their conflicting views would be a policy of compromise. No doubt he also imagined that he would hold the balance, and bo the deciding factor in finally shaping that policy. He made a bad blunder. With such reactionaries as Hertzog and Fischer, in his_ Cabinet —men of the strongest anti-British sentiments—he was doomed to failure from the outset. Hertzog specially has defied Cabinet, defied the Primo Minister, and acted as a firebrand, setting ablaze the dying fires of racial feeling on every possible occasion. His deliberate and aggressive hostility to the British in South Africa, his partisan administration in favour of the Dutch, and particularly the reactionary backveldt Dutch population; and his overbearing and unconstitutional methods have not only won him the thorough detestation of British residents, but have made him a constant source of worry and embarrassment to his colleagues. General Botha has proved himself to bo a patient, long-suffering leader. More than once he has threatened to resignmore than once he has hinted that tho Government intended to put an end to tho reckless mischief-making which was hindering the progress ol the development of South Africa, He has been taunted with weakness and with fearing to place a check on his domineering subordinate, who has a following of his. own. To ; day we are told that the Prime Minister has at last taken a decisive step, and resigned from office,, which means, of course, that Hertzog _and Fisoher and the rest of the Cabinet also lose their Ministerial status. It is further announced that the GovernorGeneral has invited General Botha to form a new Ministry.' The reason for General Botha again being invited to form a Ministry is that, so far as is known, ho is the only member possessed of a sufficient following to have any chance of carrying on tho Government of the country. At the elections in 1810 the Nationalists or Botha Party secured 67 Eeats; tho Unionists (then led by Dk. Jameson) 37, Labour 4; and Independent 13. Thus General Botha had a majority of 13 over all parties. But it is now stated that General Hertzog has a following of 20, which would leave General Botha with 45, or thereabout. At any rate,_ if forced to rely on his own following, he would be in a minority. _ What wo anticipate, however, is that General Botha, should he again take office, will be found to have entered into a coalition, or made a working agreement with the Unionists. _ They are so thoroughly disgusted with the behaviour of_ Hertzog and Fischer that it is quite probably that in order to v _get rid of them they would be willing to give Botha every reasonable assistance to carry on. It is true that Botha has proved a great disappointment to them as to'others; but as was the case in 1910, when the Act of Union came into force, he is the only man likely to command a sufficient following to ensure anything like stable government. The events of the next few days in South Africa will be followed with the closest interest. ■ So much depends on tho relegation_ of the old reactionary Boer element into the' background of South African u ,politics,, that Vi] the changes ''n'6w' } "ponding'are- of the'utmost importance not ! only to South Africa, hut to the whole Empire.