GENERALBOTHA

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1985, 16 February 1914, Page 5

GENERALBOTHA

ON THE DEPORTATIONS. VIVID PICTURE OF JULY FIFTH. WORSE THAN ANY TRAGEDY IN WAR. DUTY OF THE GOVERNMENT. ■ By Tete2fftßh-Pr<!33 iesocietlo-jt-GoDyrirtt (Rec February IS, 5.3 p.m.) Cape town, February 14. In the Union Parliament, the debate on tho Indemnity Bill was continued. General Botha (the Premier) made a two-hours' speech. He said the grievances of Labour were simply an excuse to create a revolution. The deported mmi were not tho only generals in the revolution;' gome of'them were sitting in iho House bow, Ho caustically attacked the labour members and Qeneral HortsMg, General Botha, speaking in Dutch, was rope-aiedly cheered as he described the Filth of July outbreak as a war against soojety, against innocent woincn and children, atid* a murderous assault oh the people's Bk-rfcios, The eandi r tiou of Johannesburg on July 5 was like a volcano. 3H<i had seeii many tragedies in war, but the situation ai Johannesljurg was moro terriMo than jjlj. Had the Government not made a compact with the strikers—mortifyijig though it was—'the consequences woiiitl have been more terrific than anything in South Africa's history. With a quarter of a million natives breaking out, ' and fire and anarchy everywhere, thousands of lives wouM ,'Harc been lost and millions of damage dono. After referring to 'Mr. Me-rrimaii's strictures. General Botha contended that the deportations were tfio result of tho most careful consideration for cfays aud days, and Hot tho outcome of any frivolous resolution' at a moment's notice. Tho Government* ires wholly responsible far tho deportations, The Governor General (Lord Gladstone) had nothing to do with them. The talk of the- men in the miftes and railways Were excellent men, and it w-fis tha GovoniraoHt'ir duty to wake their lot as satisfactory as possible. This should bo secured constitutionally, but in the present instance the terrorists got the upper hand. The majority did not desire to strike. Tho Generaj went on to say that it would have been a bad day for i-Soutlr Africa if the deportations had ftpt been carried out. lie was firmly ■convinced that tko labour leaders never desired* a. settlement of their grievances. They were simply sworn enemies of society. .He was especially struck with their desire at one stage of the negotiations to eliminate the term "owner," apparently because they desired no ownership. General Botha commended to South African farmers -ami Govonime/nts the duty of expelling those menacing Smith 1 Africa's well-being. He was confident that Parliament would approve of this. ; Tho great black and coloured population must be rememberer}, and unless ' tho whites took steps to prevent tho ' recurrence of recent events the position would become extremely diijicult. . General Botha quoted' an , '.a.r'tielo % Mr. John Dsibo, an educated-leaiier. of tha natives in Natal, who,, in Julio last, wrote to all tho .Afrjca exhorting tihotn iftjutfl '}»"? 0&$- <?f fcfa low natives' to woVk 'for whites in Johannesburg;- arguing , tliftt the strike, would enable them to extort_ what they . • .wanted. froffl tho*;&ovcriun_ont'liii:d:cni*ployori.,'*fhe ..General stigmat-isejl as scoundrels those coining t4 negotiate' with tho Government with revolvers in their pockets and than boasting on public platforms 'of their eowardly actions. Referring to General He.rt.zog, he asked why he did not came to tho Government's assistance in July when lie was ashamed in his own Goiigress in Orangitt to utter a word in eondemjiiati.Oß of the outrages. True patriots would'have- volunteered their assistance. General Botha Said ho- was unable to understand Mr. Merriman's rea-soniflg. He used language without considering its effect, especially abroad. He cited Mr, Ramsay Macdonald's quotation of Mr. Merrimaii's. allegation that thereWas remarkably .slender evidence of -conspiracy. From this General Botha' di-s-. seiited. Hβ wenii on to state that Jie could have ban.ish.c4 *be* syndicalists'to any part of tire habitable globe, but the tfm.ge.ni was the only ship availablo, and England was the most convenient destination. Ho. declined to contemplate the idea of England sending back the -deported njeit; , ■ After fustifyljig m-artial law on tho feround that it averted bloodshed and frustrated the gravest attack ever rondo on the nation,. General Botha Concluded by asking whether it was bettor to imperil many lives or banish n.iuo men. Mr.' Jagger (an Oppositionist) ■ supported the GovernmeiTt as regards declaration of martial law, but strongly condemned the deportations. -He- said the vilest'criminals were entitled to a trial. NEWSPAPER COMMENT. London, February 13. Tho "Westminster Gazette" (Liberal) says the debate on Mr. Ramsay, Mac"Dcnuld's amendment* as a model of correctness, insofar as it dealt with the self-governing Domwions. "But," it adds, "the deportation concerns us, inasmuch as our law courts may possibly be called on to decide certain principles of wlticli tho deported me-ii are flagliearers. We may become legatees of the South African trouble. As a general principle, the' self-fioverwiisg -Dominions should . consume their own , , smo-Icc." ■ Tho "Westminster Gazette" further urges that the Indemnity Bill should' be followed,by'a Public Meeting and D|s-' tnrbaiiccs Bill aiid an Industrial Disputes "Prevention Bill. SUNPAY OBSERVANCE, ■'Times"-- Sydney "Sun" Special Cables Johannesburg, February 14 The Sunday Observanoo .Commission recommends the cessation of milling at the mines on. Sunday. It_ is asserted that this would mean an immense reduction and depreciation of values amounting to millions of pounds, besides a β-brinkagc in tho gold output.