BOER PATRIOTISM

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2471, 26 May 1915, Page 11

BOER PATRIOTISM

LATE REBELLION DENOUNCED FREEDOM UNDER THE UNION JACK .Parliamentary matters in South Africa as a rule may not ho of absorbing interest to outside countries, but the present debut.es, owing to the recent rebellion, and the position the sub-con-tinont now occupies in tho Empire, justify some attention being devoted to tho debate which is still taking pliico in the Union House of Parliament. Tho following extracts ironi the speeches of liner M.P.'s lorm one of it he most grutil.vinK features of the debate. Tho speakers fought against Groat Britain in ]89U-JOOli; thoy are now staunch supporters ol British rule. Tho uxtmcts aro Lukon from lull reports in tho "Natal Mercury":— Mr. G. J. W. Du I'oit (Middlebnrg): If the Courts sentenced any of tho rebels to death, the sentence must be carried out, because they should not minimiso tho seriousness of rebellion. As to tho rebel Fourie, ho (Mr. Du Toit) had road tho newspapers, and had not yet come across a caso as serious as Fourie's, but if other cases on all fours with that of Fourie canio up there should not bo any discrimination. The rebellion really dated from the day of Uuiott, becauso General Hertzog had not been chosen Prime Minister of tho Union. Ho had made things difficult for General Botha, and had tried to make things so impossible that the Cabinet had had to resign ultimately, and in tho nan- Cabinet General Hertzog had not been included. Mr. H. D. Vessels (Bechuanaland): Certain Afrikanders who bad gone to German South-West Africa some years ago had become so dissatisfied under German rule that a Consul from tho Union had had to be appointed to look after their interosts. A r o, German rule was not loved. Dealing with General Hortzog's two-stream policy, Mr. Wossels said that even General Hertzog had not fully explained it. It had done a great deal of harm in that | country, and he was assured that at the next elections the question before the electors would bo tho one-stream policy versus the two-stream policy. The two-stream policy had done incalculable harm to the country. Mr. J. A. P. Van Der Merwe (Vrcdefort): I was tho first man in the Free Stato who had been fired at by the rebels. He could not understand how the German South-West Africa expedition could have been the cause of the rebellion, and the Blue Book showed how on September 15 the first attempt at rebellion had failed; and had those peoplo who gathered at Potchefstroom known that Parliament a few days before had decided on the German SouthWest Africa expedition? Not ono of the captured rebels had said that they had gono into the rebellion because of the German South-AVest Africa expedition, but because their leaders had misled them. •Mi 1 . 15. N. Grobler (Edenburg) agieed with junior Nicholson that it was the man w'lio had sown the seeds of dissension who had caused all the evil which had afflicted South Africa. The rebellion had caused a great deal of material damage. Violent methods lad been employed by the rebels, and jcopk had been kicked, hit, and sjamjokkd. Theso things were difficulties rtilch it would not be easy to overcome, 3ut he would say "absolution from the instance." if an assurance could be jiven that a repetition would not occur igain, because their country could not itand these things. Mr. Neser (Potchefstrom): I was a rargher of the Transvaal when it was ;aken by the British. I took the oath if allegiance, and I know what it is to seep my word. We are very well aware >f what it is to bo independent, _ but I lever felt more independent in tho Fransvaal Republic than I do under the British flag. (Loud cheers.) Major Cronje: When there was talk )f rebellion', he (Major Cronje) had ihought it his duty to go amongst the people and warn them. He was one of ;hose who had fought to tho bitter end u the Anglo-Boer War, and so it could lot be said against him, when lie warnKl the people against rebellion, that he .vas'a "khaki." an dthe like. They had Seen granted self-government after the late war, and it could not be said that i,hs peoplo had been forced into rebellion. Commandant Kermass (Lichtenburg)'; Die man who was really responsible for :he rebellion was General Hertzog, who :md caused the fire, and ran away when .he blaze started. General Hertzog, instead of making tilings easier than they ivere, now mado things more difficult for tho burghers by the way in which ho ipoke. The hon. member went on to say that if it lay in his power to sentence ministers of religion who had preached sedition, he would have given then ten years' hard labour, and not six nonths without hard labour, as had jeen given. Mr. Krige: Mr. Fremantlo wanted to .each General Botha, the hero of Spion Kop and the Tußela, his duty towards lis own people. He (Mr. Krige) admired I the way in which the English peoplo ,vere" fighting for freedom in Europe, ind how they stood by their allies, al;hiugh he (Mr. Krige) himself did not lave a drop of British blood in his r eiii6.