A WAR BY POST.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1841, 29 August 1913, Page 8

A WAR BY POST.

«— — THE OLD BOER AND THE NEW. HOW THEY ARE OPPOSING EACH OTHER. —L i . I A. very lucid and well-written articlo 1 by L. E. No.inic, the Johannesburg sor- ; respondent of the "Daily Mail," gives 1 a luminous account, of the conflict which J is still proceeding between the New ] Hoer and tlio Old Boer in South Africa. 1 "A new and <v strange war is boing < fought in South Africa," ho writes. 1 "It is a war in which Goer is opposed 1 to Boer. And it is waged with pen and ' ink —by past. It is an epistolary strug- j gle for tho moment; a campaign by correspondence. What) the great mass of the Dutch dread more than anything else is'that it should develop into an ppen conflict at the polls. For that way lies tho return of the British section to. power. "The forces of racialism and leaction, led by General Hertzog, are attacking tho army of the. Moderate's, wnieh swears allcgianco to General Botha, the Prime Minister of. tho Union. "One day there is a skirmish between outposts in soiiio Dutch journal in tho backveM. The next, tho leaders indulge in a long-distance duel with heavy guns—by letter. Everywhere letters. Always letters. The weapons of tho generals aro almost unknown to English politics. A Dolugo of Words. "General Botha is the Now Boer. He is tho apostle of racial 1 conciliation. Ever since, tho war he has stood for the new faith, lie proachc-d coiitilia- : tion as. a candidate for the first Transvaal Parliament. He practised ifc as Premier of the Transvaal. He' docs tho samo to-day as Prime Minister of 1 tlio Union. Between General Batliu. ! and Sir Starr Jameson there stood but ' tho slightest differences. 1 "General Hettzog, on tho other hand, ' has appealed always to the Old Boor. Ho j raised a. bitter language controversy in ' the Free State. 1-lis attitude lias always ' given tho public the impression that lie is anti-British. He may vow that to is not—tflwn all ons can say is that ho lias been unfortunate in choosing words in which to express his ideas. And sinco General Botha turned General Hertzog ■ out of the Union Cabinet because' ho t. became an impossibio member of a Min- ; ist-ry 'pledged- to conciliation, tho very • virtue which attracts Britishers to Gen- • eral Botha's side lias been systematical--1 ly denounced as a vice. 1 Too British. "General Hertzog has brought about > a split in the South African party, which > is roughly tho Dutch party. Daily ho | and his followers attack their chief. 1 Ho lias ranged Boer against Boor. And f if you ■ summarise tlio mass of corre- - spondcnce launched by tho Hertzog fac--1 tion against General Botha you find t'hat - the Promibris charged with, being too ) conciliatory—too British —too Imperial— 3 too regardful of Downing Street—too i' proliu to keep one eye upon London. s "Tho plain trijth is that the Old Boer 3 regards the New Boer as not sufficiently l'.' Dutch. ' . j "The. difference may bo put in this i «ay. General Botha places South Africa s first-. General Hertzog places .tho Boer 3 first. General Botha aims at uniting - English and Dutch in one South African i* nation. General Hertzog prefers a nat tion in two water-tight, oompartmcnts, r and 'is;mainly concerned in strengtheii--3 ing the Dutch compartment. '■'Bead the letters with which the 3 Hertzoyites are flooding South Africa. 3 Study their newspapers. 'They strive to | underinino General Botha's influence j with the Dutch population by insinuating that ho is not 'sufficiently active (v in fostering the Dutch language, ill f pushing forward Dutch interests and f . in entrenching Dutch nationality. Too f British—too Imperial—too' conciliatory u —too much inclined to help t'lie Navy; n thus' runs the indictment of the Takf haars and the backveld. e "Thus is war by post waged in South ,] Africa. The Dutch population is sorely perturbed by the schism. It threatens u political disaster. ,' ■ ' "If tho South African party, which is g now in power, accepts Hertzogism as its e gospel, it will inevitably drive from- its ' ranks a largo number of moderate Boers and Knglish wtt-rs who believe in the j policy of General.Botha. [j Thiee-cornored Contests. "And if tiio South African party purges itself of tho Hertzog malcontents, it will have to run the.risk'of lioer opposing Boer at tho polls when a general election comes, thereby producing threeit cornered contests in which British can- \ didates supported, by minorities may be io returned to Parliament and Dutch rulo L crmnblo away. 3- "The .tide of suggestions, proio tests, letters, resolutions, flows ever n higher. But it produces nothing tan-' af gible. Tho rival factions 4 an d firm, la The, gap widens. Outwardly tho Botba;o ites are overwhelmingly strong. When io a,.vote of no-confidence Wn the Botha ;r Government was proposed, in Parlinie ment, only five Hei'tzogites supported it w in a division. The party caucus reid mains loyal. Backed up ill this way, id 'General Botha strongly resists the deft- maud of tlio Hertzog. faction that ho •d should resign. One might imagine •i that victory for tho Botha party waß asill surcd." • . - South African Political Life. „ "Yet if you look more closely into South African political life,, you perceivo that tho two sides are more evenly matched. Parliament was elccted, the c " caucus was formed, before the split. It r " is notorious that many Boer members w who vote for General Botha fchr to faco their constituent*. w "General Hertzog appeals not- to Pailiament, but to the Dutch peoplo. It is 'believed that the Free Stato is his. It is notorious that in many; Dutch centres he is looked lip to as a national hero. General Botha might snoop tho » Transvaal and a great deal of Natal. But it is doubtful whether in a number r.v of the old Dutch centres in tho Cape i'- the race champion from the Free.State is is not preferred to the apostle of concilile ation from tho North. .' } e- HOW Will (t End? .'0 "How will it end 1 J Frankly, it is almost impossible to prcdict any result with contidence. There aro those whn know the Dutch who'assert that; however ominous the split- may apepar today they will close their ranks at an election," even if it involves turning 3. asido both General Botha and General Hertzog, and choosing new lenders. The Boors, say these, will allow nothing to endanger tho power they have gained. G( ' They may quarrel among themselves lle right lip toM-ho door of the polling r" booth. But they will vole as one when j lO they got inside. ' K - "In the past- tliii was so. But; to aK me it iteeiiis that the struggle to-day has 10 gone too far and too deep to permit i f 10 such a Kfctflemcnt. It is not a matter » of individual leadert or of mere labels. O . T It is a conflict of ideals,.of. fundamental principles. Displaca Botlm and Hertzog. Persuade them to retire to their farms. And there will arise uuw leaders, some pledged to the Botha policy of conciliation, others preaching tlio more militant faith of Hertzogiim. "So what is to-day a war by post a ' must to-morrow become a war at the il- polls. By the votes of the people alone e- caii the struggle bo ended. In- tho illlie. terosts of racial peace in South Africa in il is to be hoped that General. Botha's 3ii policy of conciliation will appeal to the th majority of tho Dutch. South Africa -needs tha New Boer, not the old Boer."