GENERAL SMUTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2919, 3 November 1916, Page 9

GENERAL SMUTS

A PERSONAL SKETCH (from the "Daily Jlnil.") Tho capture of the capital of German Bast Africa by Liout.-General Smuts, a Dutchman born in tho Capo Colony (says "One Who Knows Him"), is anothor of those amazing triumphs of British rule which are at oncc the wonder and tho despair of our enemies. For Englishmen, too, there is certainly cause, if not lor amazement, certainly for pride, in tho fact that a territory twico the size of Germany has ijuat been added to our Imperial ■possessions by the genius of a colonial sol-dier-Btatesman who was' 0110 __ of the riprht-hand men of President Kruger in tho stormy days that preceded tho South African War, and in the war itself proved himself one of the most dashing and resourceful cavalry loaders on the side of tho Dutch B.opul)lics. Sinco thoso days "Jannie" Snuits has done great things in South Africa, but mostly ho has been overshadowed in ths eyo of the British public by the moro familiar figure of his friend and political chief, General Louis Botha. "Chief,", however, is not the word to' describe tho relationship in which Botha stands to Smuts. Personally, ever since tho grant of responsible government to tho Transvaal in 1907, I liavo never been able to look upon the tivo_ men_ as anything but partners. Their political and personal association during all tho years since "then has boen of the closcst and most intimato nature. Botha, the man of the veld, direct, far-siglitcd, simple of speech, is tlio natural leader of his people. . . Smuts, on tho other liana, with a brilliant university Tecord and a mas-ter-knowledge of world-politics, is, if not oxactly a stranger, at least a mystery to the majority of his own people. His point of view is entirely foreign to a nation which, speaking broadly, has not yet learnt tho significance of seapower, and which, as was made plain by the recent rebellion, still imagines that

it is possible for a British possession to maintain an' attitude of strict neutrality when tho Empire is at war. It is this difference in character and outlook that has made the partnership of the two men invincible in tho political history of South Africa during the last ten years. The qualities th&t one man lacks the other supplies.

Not ail easy subject for portraiture is tlie conqueror of German East Africa. When I knew him first, ton years ago, he was very slender, very fair, dreamyoyed—a visionary of tho veld, who seemed more than a little out of place among his political associates. Even more out of place ho seemed, however, when as State Attorney to President Kruger he made his appearance in tho Yolksraad at Pretoria, clad in a jaunty light-grey suit and was promptly sent home to "change" into the black clothes which were obligatory in that solemn assemblage. To-day Smuts has broadened somowhat, and looks more like the farmer that he is in the scant

time that ho can find to spare from his desk in the Government Buildings at Pretoria and his place in Parliament. Suave, almost deprecating in manner, there never was a more conspicuous case of the "iron hand in the velvet glove." How heavy that hand could, be was shown at the time of the great general striko in South Africa in January, 1914, which threatened to dislocate tho entire industry of , the country. Then it was that, practically in a single night, he revived the old "commando system" of the Boors and froze the threatened revolution stiff in the very moment of its birth. A few days later ho took an even bolder step by laying unauthorised hands upon nine leaders of tho strike movement and "deporting" them to England 1 without the formality of any trial. At that time, at any rate among tlio industrial population of South Africa, he was a figure of execration; to-day ho is the hero of every section of the people with the exception of the disgruntled body of Afrikander "Sinn Fciners" who give 'a blind allegiance to General Hei'tzog, the Orange Free State, reactionary.

Unbroken Success. On the military as well as the political side ■ tho secret of Smuts's success can be summed up in tho ono word "industry." Never was there such an untiring worker. No task is ever too great l'or him, no responsibility too much. In the Cabinet ho has filled almost every office, and on more than ono occasion ho has borne tho burden of several portfolios at once. For a K.C. the office of Colonial Secretary 6oemed an. appropriate one, and no ono in South Afrioa was astonished at tho remarkable efficiency he displayed l in

that' capacity. A littlo later, however, one of those dramatic quarrels which, are a commonplace of South African politics rendered vacant tho Treasury portfolio, which Smuts promptly assumed, only to display an altogether remarkable,' and hitherto unsuspected, talent for doling with tho intricacies of national finance, iater on when the treachery of working upon tho emotions and superstitions of the simple-minded Do la lloy, brought about tho ill-fated rebellion and threw tho wholo of tho newly-created defence system of tho country into something worso than confusion, Smutg I took control of that department, and in an almost incredibly short space of time had so perfected its organisation that General Botha was ablo to put a great army into tho field against the Germans in West Africa, with results which aro now history.

Au icy coolness characterises all Smuts's utterances in debate. Storms which leave General Botha visibly disturbed produce no sign of dismay in his younger associate. His treatment of tho Houso ,on certain occasions of this sort has been even cynical, and a conspicuous ' example of this occurrcd when ho faced a shocked Assembly, expecting his apology for tho "njno deportees" incident, and referring in amused, and amusing, fashion to "these nine gentlemen upon my honours list," gently informed them that in _ similar circumstances he would not hesitate to do tho same thing again. At a great mooting in Johannesburg—that storm centre of South African industrialism— not so long afterwards we find him eliciting wild cheers from a huge assemblage of trade unionists by relegating ihe rising of the disaffected Boers to the realms of sarcasm in a phraso Five-Shilling llebelhon —and tolling them that tho Government of South Africa would never rest until tho names "Gorman" South-West and '.'German" East wero never heard again in that continent.