SOUTH AFRICAN POSITION

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2263, 24 September 1914, Page 6

SOUTH AFRICAN POSITION

; ■; GEN. BEYERS"S RESIGNATION -/REMARKABLE CORRESPONDENCE > ; . London* September 22, 12.20 ,a.m; .' • TKe Press Bureau publishes the text : ■':'■: of: the correspondence between General Beyers and General Smuts, Minister of .-'■.. I)efenoe, ; regarding the former's resig- - ■ nation of the post of Commandant-Gen-- .>. era! of the South' African Defence - ... Forces.- -. •'.. - : ...■'.•■'■•. ... /;: V' Genera-1 Beyers says that he does not ■, : npprove 'of sending; commandoes to >_-.' -German" South-West .Africa for the purpose \of conquering that territory. Hβ ■ says,that he is surprised that Parlia- .-■,:. .Vihent' confirmed a resolution to conquer 1 German South-West Africa without any j;: provocation towards the Union from the >..--Germans.. The Government must be :.;. aware-that -the majority of the Dutch- :■■;"■'. speaking people, in the Union disapw ■.prove";of crossing the frontier, and that :/.;; conferences of commandants . at ; Pre:'.;toria /bore eloquent testimony..-to this. ;•:. General Beyers challenged the Govern- '' ment to.appeal to the.people, without .-./■jiiakuig compulsion,: to obtain another f'i -result.:/' ■ -'-' ■'- \' .''■■: ' ■'-.' .. .'■ VHe," said that' Great Britain had taken "■ ..part in: the.-war for the sake of right ; v'. and justice; in order to protect the inv'r dependence of .smaller nations, and to : f -;vcomply with treaties; but'the fact that -n.three/Ministers resigned from the Brit■;:ish/Cabinet showed that even in Eng-;V;land-there is 'a strong minority who 'V:' cannot be convinced of the 'righteous- ..'-., ness of war with/ Germany. History, :■-teaches that-whenever it suits her in--;-.'"teresfe: Great Britain is ready to pro- .; tect'snialler nations. Unhappily, history •. also'V relates instances in which the .sacred rights and independence of small:;.er .nations have been violated; and trea".r.ties, disregarded,-by the same Empire. -.:?:: .In proof of this, General Beyers' says V . that it is only necessary to indicate how ' theindependence of the South African .'Republicand the Orange Free State was ; . ■ and what the weight of the VSand River Convention was. It was ■;. ; . said that'" thV war' r was ■, being waged .': ..against the.,barbarity of the Germans. ■.■.■Hβhadforgiven;.but not.forgotten, the •;'v barbarities perpetrated in his own"'couii- ■' tryduring', .the South African Wai-. - .;-! In the absence-of legitimate, grounds ' ■-' lor the annexationpolicy, '.the.Govern-. ,'jnent endeavours to intimidate the pub- .-: K'lic.Viby'.- : declaring .that.it..:possesses in- ■!.-.: formation , 'showing that. Germany';had .. .decided, should the .opportunity arise, to v. Cannes South Africa. His opinion is . v thai this will be .hastened if the British ..'■■ invade German territory without having r.-heen provoked by the : Germans.-. : ..; As to. the alleged/German annexation i,: 'scheme;- this .'was'nothing more'.than ;'; the .-result ■ of the usual national sus"Vpioibrx,attending, such matters.' What ..-. ' ever /may; happen in: ;Sputh. Africa, the , /contest will be"decided'in Europe..; If ,/ Germany triumphs, and should.. decide ..to attack r South' Africa, then, even if ■ Great Britain should be unable to helpi ■ they at least would have a sacred and '■ clean. : case in defending, their country , to the, utmost, provided they stay inside vtheir'.borders, meanwhile... ... , General Beyers says that'he accepted'the position of Commandant-General under the Defence Act, the' first section ... of which- provides that the forces are to be only in defence of the /■'■/■ Onion.-;: Should the enemy penetrate /the .country,- it.woiild he ihe;duty of the British to drive him ,back,' and pursue ■■ him/into his own "territory. Why .' .should we deliberately make enemies? /.../ General -Beyers saw no : wayof taking ./the- offensive, and said: "As sincerely ,'• as I love this country and its people, aiA.l, must strongly, protest against sending ~the Union citizen forces over the fron- ..-." tier. , '..- . .■•■.■'.■.■■..■. ;' ■'■' '..-•' ■';■• : '-.-.■'.• General Smuts's Reply. ; General Smuts replied that the circumstances under which the resignation of General Beyers took place, and the \ 'terms upon .which' General Beyers en- /■•! deavoured to justify his action,- must leave a very painful impression. True, it was known that General Beyers en- ■, : tered an."objection, against"'war.' opera//■tionsin German South-West Africa, but ,' he' had. never . received the impression .that General Beyers would resign. . The V principal officers: wero appointed, on ~*~ General' Beyers's recommendation, and ■with his concurrence, and.the plan of operations now being followed was large- ■ ly recommended by General Beyers at a conference, of officers.. General : . Smuts added that his last instructions , before he left for Cape Town to attend , .the special session of Parliament were that General Beyers should visit certain regiments on the ; German border. It ..was well understood'that immediately .war operations were further' advanced .and co-operation aniong tho various divisions was practicable,- General Beyers should undertake the chief ; command against German South-West Africa. The attitude of the Government: re- • mained unchanged, and was approved by '/ : Parliament. Circumsiances in connection with the resignation had made , a , most unpleasant impression on his colleagues, and on General Smuts, but this unpleasant impression was aggravated by the allegations'contained in the'bitter attack on Great Britain. The references to barbarous acts during -the South African War could not .... justify, the criminal , devastation of Belgium, and could only ■ bo calculated; to sow! hatred and dissent-ion, amongst the ;•.■ people of 0 South . Africa., : General Beyers forgot to mention that sinco the • South African war the" British people gave to South Africa entire freedom, under' a constitution which makes it possible to realise their national ideas along their own lines, and which allowed General Beyers to write with impunity a letter for which ho would bo ' liable in the German Empire to the . extreme penalty. , / ■ . As regards the other statements, they. had been answered and disposed of. From those discussions it would bo apparent that neither the British Empire nor South Africa was the aggressor in the. struggle. War in the firstinstance was declared by Austria-Hun-gary, and thereafter by Germany, under circumstances in which the British Government omployod its utmost powers, to maintain the peace of Europe, and safeguard., tho neutrality of Belgium. It-was absurd to speak of.aggressivo • action on the part of the Union, seeing that together with tho British Empire' it would have been drawn against our wish and will, entirely in self-defence, into this war.. General Smuts's .conviction* was that -the /people of South Africa would in these dark days, when the Government, "as'well as-the people of South Africa, .were put to the supreme test, Lave a higher conception or duty and Jionour than could bo deduced ( from General Beyers's letter and action. To the Dutch-speaking section in particular, -General. Smuts could not conceive anything more fatal and humiliating than a policy of lip-loyalty in fair weather and a policy of neutrality and pro-Gorman sentiment in days of storm and stress. It might be that peculiar internal circumstances, and a backward condition after a great war, would place a limit on what they could do, but, nevertheless, General Smuts was convinced that tho people- would supportthe Government ,in carrying put the mandate of Parliament, and in this manner, which was ths only legitimate one, to fulfil their duty to South Africa and to the Empire, and to maintain their, dearly-won honour unblemished for tho future. .-.'■■".' DUTCH LOYALTY. By Tolegra-rli— Press Aesociction—OoDyrlffll Cape Town, September 22. A crowded meeting .at Bethlehem (Oranufl Fjrflc State), a strong HertzqgrJ

ite centre, overwhelmingly supported tho Government operations in German South-West Africa. "J.F.H." writes in reference to tho cable message from Cape Town in connection with the attitude, of the Freo State and the Union Government's action re German South-West Africa:— BotOilehem is a small but important town in the Orange Free State, on the main railway lino from Johannesburg, via Kroonstad to Harrismith, a town of some 1500 people, which was'an important military centre during and after the war. Bethlehem is essentially a Dutch town, and is situated on the rolling plains of the High Veldt. Recently General Hertzog met with a rapturous reception at Bethlehem when he delivered a , harangue concerning the relations of South Africa to the Empire similar to his famous Smithfield speech. Epitomised, tht- General declared that they would make use of tho Empire so long as its interests did not conflict with those of South Africa; afterwards "they could throw it away like a sucked orange. , " In a vigorous rejoinder, General Botha accused Gen-, eral Hertzog of raising a totally unnecessary issue, and soundly castigated his want of loyalty.