The Dominion. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1913. SOUTH AFRICAN CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1679, 20 February 1913, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1913. SOUTH AFRICAN CRISIS.

The great, and what may prove historic, struggle now proceeding in South Africa is nothing more or less than a fight for tho survival'of decaying Afrikanderdom. The words Afrikander, .'Afrikanderdom, and Afrikander Nationality are designations chosen for themselves by the older generations of the white Dutchspeaking population of the 7sub-con-tinent. The. younger generations of the same race invariably style themselves South Africans. And in a community wherein language has become an obsession, this is a distinction not without "importance. The present is no ordinary political contest. On one side is ranged the progressive ,section of the population; on the other side stand, dour and determined, the opponents of all reform. , Much nonsense has been talked about the growth of co-operation among Dutch a.nd ; British in South Africa. Racialism, we have been informed by General Botha,.and by credulous English Radicals, • was almost extinct. Unfortunately this seems to be far from being the case. The reason for all this make-believe— for deliberately denying palpable facts—has been the desire to strengthen and : solidify the influence of Botha and -his friends. Lord Hilner's warning was cast aside by British Government, and General Botha's advice- was accepted. The results are rapidly becoming apparent.: .r. '• 1

.' General Botha and his. more intimate supporters have had great trouble in living ; up to their professed ideals. General Botha assumed the character of the great peace-maker between the' two' races, and made a parade of-his success by declaring that rivalry among whites in South Africa.was now to be numbered "with the tilings that were." This attitude won him the admiration and; what was more important to him, the support of many Britishborn South Africans. For nearly two yearß and a half this went on. General Botha preachcd peace, and rejoiced that racialism was no more; General Hertzoq, a member of his Cabinet, sneered lat Empire, denounced prominent Englishmen as "foreign adventurers," and did his utmost to engender strife between. Dutch and British. But never word of remonstrance-seems to have been | spoken by General Botha. Not until [members of'.the Opposition, and even supporters of the Government, had protested against the doctrines enun- | dated by General Hertzoq, did tho Prime Minister take action. The protests, influential as they were, might have left General Botha unaffected had they not been followed up by threats of reprisal. Nationalists de-clared-thoy would no longer support the Ministry-that contained\General Hertzoo;- Unionists •,intimated .that until General: HERTioti had made. his insults cast upon. Englishmen in general, and upon Sir Thomas Shartt - and Colonel Byron.in particular, they would refuse to meet at iiny function, members •.of. : . ' Botha . 1 Ministry. . The ; latter threat was put into: .exebution,' members of the Opposition declining invitations to all meetings, 1 or functions of any kind which Ministers were expected to attend.. Finally, General Botha was, informed that the support he, had formerly received, in Parliament from the Opposition would not be extended while Hertzoq remained, in the Ministry. i

'■] A somewhat ingenuous Dutch clergyman, having, his say\on" the embarrassing state of things;, confessed his inability to see what differences divided the, two Generals. "If you read between the lines," he informed a. backveld audience, "you. may safely conclude that the' two Ministers are cordially at one as to their real policy." . But .cordially at: one, or not, • the : two ' have now - parted. General Hertzoo, 1 it appears, has been demanding the Prime Minister's resignation,' and the formation of a new Government, in which neither General Botha nor General Hertzoq should be members. "And," says a recent'' cable message, ' "General Botha remarked that he found the demand acceptable." Such a proposal as this, coming, from a politician of the type of General Hertzog, cannot be taken very seriously. He made a bold bid for the retention of office At. the time when his'fate seemed, to hang in the balance, by modifying his • expressions. concerning the .Empire, and by withdrawing, and apologising , for, his, insult to Sir Thomas Smartt. He has no • desire to be left out) in tho cold. But with General Botha the circumstances are different. It would be no great surprise were he to withdraw from the Ministry, if not from-Parliament. The forces against him, he must realise, are gathering. He has no longer the-advipe and guidance of the amiable ''Dr. Jim.' A split is ■ even threatened in the Opposition, "owing to the lack of virility"—in other words, because of ■ the frequent support given General Botha against the backveld section of _the_ Nationalists. The Young Unionist party was spoken of when the latest-received mail loft South Africa. It may Have ; been formed by this time. Tho present crisis probably is tho best thing possible for South Africa. A crisis was inevitable, • It may prove to be the real turning-point in the history of the two white races in South Africa.