SOUTH AFRICA

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2285, 20 October 1914, Page 6

SOUTH AFRICA

DUTCH CONDEMN THE REBELS

../ .' '. Pretoria, October..lß. _'At a meeting of commandants nt Kroonstad, representing the Free State ; :- , north of Bloemfontein, a resolution, was ;: carried in_suppprt of tho Government's ; ;,v measures insido and outside the Union. The meeting asked the south, to mobilises : v :> the burghers against-tho rebellion,'; and !■ v. declared that ■ Maritz's treason was a ,- ' : .-y "; blot"on the Free State's honour. It is noteworthy that the Free State :. • constituencies. hitherto wore lukewarm ,'regarding tho campaign in German : South-West Africa... .' ... : . V GENERAL HERTZOG'S POSITION. ■'.•■ ':{..:■ Capa Towrji October 18. ' : /General Hertzog has telegraphed to . the Dutch Church Presbytery, placing ■tho responsibility for General Maritz's. i. treachery'upon the- Union Government, but.stating that ho (Hertzog) offers his . eervices to prevent civil war. ; Mr. J. X. Mer'riman, Premier of Capo •v". Colony, speaking at Someria West, con- / •demned,. Colonel Maritz'e treachery.' |C . South Africa's duty was plain—to stand ji'-i by Great Britain throughout tho apf:\ .palling, struggle. : ' ■ r sharp. warning to general :;;:. . ,;..:. ; hertzog. ;/ ;.',(Rec! October.l 9, 8.25 p.m.) :,; -' Pretoria, October 18. ;■ '■ . General Hertzog offered his services \'j 3n tho hopc'.that tho Government would "f-:. terminate the Maritz rebellion without •bloodshed. General Botha ( replied :that';be"was.noi negotiating with the ■'':: rebels', and the Maritz-rebellion would only .be suppressed by force. He ; V .warned .General Hertzog that public ;":...- 'opinion demanded tho immediate pub-1 ,; i : He repudiation of Maritz's action, by all ■J-. ' tboso ■ mentioned in. Maritz's . ultii::-, matum. ; ■"'■.' ." ■ : . ' ■■■ y(. '. The rebellion , headed by Colonel Mar'■'■"'■/.itz in South Africa, lends special.inter-. !.'■'■•' est to the : following letter on the-at- | ';. . titude-of the Boers, written by Profes-, j- sor H. : E. S. Fremantle, a member of :•• the. 'South African Parliament. .The letter, which was written . from TJiten- ;: hago. on" August 6, was published in ■''the "Manchester Guardian":—^"'.■■ . ; \ It is not h'kely that in the contest of >"■ .Titans '.which now seems to lie before ; ; .-;'■'• tho. world any decisive' or. important' : 'part will be played by, South Africa, but' f : ecniot'hiug depends on the.•■" attitude -■■■',-■• adopted by our people, and if our quies- ,—•- cenco'is a negative, thing it is to be v '.'remembered.that it is a very important < ■ negative,'and it is right,that its causes .:'■■•"• ehould'.'not'be forgotten.. These words. ; .'' are wiiitten after a tc-ur of some weeks ~.■ '■■.' ill two Dutch districts. The writer has j' '. slept in many farmhouses, the homes ■■. of old and'intimate friends. "He has : -■;■' talked freely with dozens of'.the Boer ;..'./ ... pe9ple heart to heart.. They know they i':' have his affection, and he knows h

■'. lias theirs. Here .are his .impressions .( of their.feelings in this matter. ' 'To begin with, our country, peoplo '■".-■ 6re absolutely 'contented. War is tho . opportunity of disaffection. Here ami .' now, therefore, disaffection has its op- ,-'.: portunity. It is but a few years since our owii war.. Conceive what might •■■.':■ ihappen if General Botha, or-for that -.-.: matter General Hertzog, • headed a- ■ popular revolt against England at tho • ■'.. present moment. -, ThenTiindeed South •'' Africa might play a groat part in the -.. war. But now that the opportunity • for disaffection has come there is no ■."■'.•...disaffection, to. seize it. Not one Bri- ;.' .tish. , soldier Jβ needed. . Disaffection has •■'h'een crushed and rooted out by.the lib- '.-■■ ei'ty .which the statesmanship of Eng- ; ': land has given us. The totai absenco .'of any; inclination ,to side with Eng- . land'e enemies, because they' are EngV.land's enemies, is the first'reward whicli -.- wisdom and justice has brought.

VV'•...•'■'•//-General Confidence in England. •..■;.■/ Qleygrqnt of self-government after .' ■': \ our war inclines our people to look with '.: friendly eyes on England. Of late the ■/•-;■'■'- unhappy, dispute about Imperialism, ;; ' and. the impression created that Gen- ',':.;■ ,'lecal Botha was compelled, in order to / • Dβ; a loyal subject, to part company ' . with, the darling of the ■ Dutch-speak- )', ing people, has caused some hesita- ::. .. tioii,. but on the whole England has / ■ the friendship of our country .people; ; Germany certainly has not. German methods in Da'maraland do not com- ..' mend themselves to our people, who find, that they are very much liappier uni. de'r 'the British than under the German flag. Here wo do not often meet the cultured and idealistic German who •.'■' lias given his country a groat name in ■ the world. Wo meet more often the ■commercial man who pushes and the . - young- lieutenant. The- writer cannot ;. .hate the Germans'. 'On the contrary, ■he keenly appreciates them.. But it i would he. untrue to deny that among ■ our country people the Germans, or .'•.-•-.'■' at.any rate-tneir rulers, are not loved. ; ;. ; , It-seenis that in this war South ; / 'Africa will feel as one man; Our coun- • • ..try people and our town people will bo " at one, .and it is diflicult to say what j.?. results niay flow from this in the poli- /~ tical world. As to tho' war itself, all .: South African eyes are turned towards ■■ : Damaraland. If ono German soldier ■■ fires' a. shot across the border the whole ' "■-,; South African nation will rise, and it • - .will take a strong German ,army' to , . . ■ hold the country .against us.' War is 1 viai, and in any case it may well be that tho Germans in Damaraland will ' , receive.a visit which they may not; be. able'to rotura. ' It cannot be ; denied : ; fljat*. covetous.-, eyes have many times •':./. lieen ■turned-that ■ way since tho Cape : ' ; . Government: tlioiiglit itself too' poor to •':. pay for occapj-ing the country thirty ' , years ago. In any case hero, as •'.' throughout tiio.worldj the war will'let <:■.' loose, the evil passions of men. Both ■ thogood and tho evil passions of South ■. 'Africa ■ will, unless now light is cast • '-.upon'tho caso, lie on tho «ide,of Eng- :// . land in the :.coining struggle. :