The Dominion TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1914. "A DUEL IN A POWDER MAGAZINE.
The recent, struggle on. the Rand has been well, described as "a duel in a powder magazine," and public opinion throughout the Empire is becoming more .and. more convinced that the South African Government were'justified , in the extreme measures which they adopted to eope with the dangerous situation with which they wore faced. The'declaration of martial htt was no doubt a. drastic stop, but it certainly resulted .in the. restoration of. normal condir tions .without bloodshed—a result which probably could have been attained by to other means. The crisis in July tost showed thai any half-measures or signs of weakness and vacillation would probably have precipitated disaster, .Mr- Arthur Sherwell, M,P.\ who recently paid visit to South Africa, states that in July the Union wss as near " a : social upheaval and revqlation as any country iii modern times; and at one stage of the trouble which has just been suppressed, the outlook was even blacker thajl during the former crisis. It was net trades' unionism that the Government was fighting against, rerolutiofii and every nation has the righfc to use all the powers at Us dkppsal to repel any attempt by the lawless, elements in the population to overthrow the established, order. War was | declared on the comniunity,. and the community responded to tie challenge in siich a prompt and vigorous manner that the issue was never leffc in doubt. In forming a judgment as to the justification <>f martial law and the deportations one ha:s to consider not only the actual <)tit : brea%s.of lawlessness, but the possibility of a native rising, which might have had disastrous consequences. When it is borno in mind, that the white popu> lation only number' about 1,300*000, as against 4,000,000 blacks, it at once jbecoines apparent thai the Government was called up6n to deal with,a very different, and much more dangerous, set of eircumstaweesthan any. that could arise in Casiida, Atistralia, or New Zealand, There is still a very real black menace in South. Africa, and during the recent trouble the position from this point of view Was at one ti.mp extremely critical. The attitude of the Basntos, one of the most powerful and warlike tribes, was the cause of grave anxiety. This tribe is regarded as the. hope of the black race, and it must be remembered that the South African natives still believe ja the..possibility of successfully, challenging the white man's rule. Mtt. Ambrose Pratt, in his book on The, Recti South Africa, tells- us that the , gospel of "Airica for the Africans" is being widely preached. The leaders of the movement are not content with advocating equality with the Europeans, but they .ilsaeneowage the hope that the blacks will otic day drive the white population into (he sea. When these facts arc taken into consideration it will be recognised that the Daily Mail does ftot exaggerate the peril of tho recent crisis in comparing it to a chtel in a powder magazine. The full story of the upheaval and the ainis 'of tne revolutionaries has yet to be told. But enough has already been revealed, to shsiw that the State was in grave danger, and that the estrama measures Ukett ire jauabio; of fuU iustifiptiofl, $kh.
I appears to be the view generally bold in South Africa and throughout the Empire, except among certain groups of Labour and lladical exiremists, and there is every reason to believe that the Indemnity Bill v.-ill be carried by an overwhelming majority in the South African Parliament. It is a great mistake to think that the workers ns a' whole were in sympathy with the and methods of the revolutionary syndicalists. The system of terrorism which usually prevails on such occasions seems to have prevented thsta from asserting themselves at the time, but they now appeal , to welcome the. frMsstahlishmchi of law and order. Aβ soon a.s adequate proteetion was assured they Wan to flock back to their work, and they are not Htely to be so ready in the future to hand over the direction of their, affairs to reckless agitators like tlxose who led them to disaster during the recoftt strike.
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Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1974, 3 February 1914, Page 6
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700The Dominion TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1914. "A DUEL IN A POWDER MAGAZINE. Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1974, 3 February 1914, Page 6
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