SMUTS, AFRIKANDER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 295, 2 September 1918, Page 6

SMUTS, AFRIKANDER

TELLING SPEECH ON THE COLONIAL QUESTION AFRICA BARRED TO THE GERMANS No one speaking on the subject of the future of Africa is listened to with mora respect than General Smuts. His last speech on this subject in London was. delivered under dramatic circumstances, for a German air raid over the city wasannounced while his lecture before the Royal Geographical Society was in pr.v press; but this danger did not 6ton him..He spoke of German militaristic Jreamsi of Africa's future, and of the necessity of seeing that these dreams should not: come true. His words were hailed by the "Manchester Guardian": "Here spoke tho true Afrikander, a name often misunderstood in this country, but signifying, when rightly used, the man who is prepared to make Africa his home and? not his mere place of business." General Smuts said: "Germany has not the old traditional'. English colonial point of view. German, colonial aires are really not colonial, but: dominated entirely by far-reaching conceptions of world politics. Not colonies, but military power and strategic positions for exercising world-Dower in future are her real aims. Her objective in Africa is the establishment of a great Central African Empire, comprising not only her colonies beforo the war. but also all the English, Trench, Belgian,, and Portuguese possessions south of tho Sahara and Lake Chad and north of the Zambesi River in South Africa. "Towards this objective she was steadily mnrching even beforo the war broko out. and she claims the return of her lost African colonies at the end of tho war as a starting-point from which to resume the interrunted march. As appears from Count 'Hertling's sneoch, shei claims reallocation of the world's colonics so that sho may have a share commensurate with her world position. "This Central African block, the map* of which are now in- course of preparation in Berlin, is intended, in the first place, to supply the economic requirements and raw materials of German industry, and, in the second and .most important place, to became tho recruitingground for vast native armies, tho great value of which has been demonstrated in. the 'tropical campaigns of the war, nnd especially in East 'Africa, while natural harbours on tho Atlantic and Indian Oceans will supply the naval and submarine bases from which both ocean routes will be dominated and British and American sea power brought to nought.

Native Armies for Conquest. "The'native armies will be useful in l , the next great war, to which the German General Staff is already devotingserious attention. The untrained leviesof the Union of South Africa will go down before these German-trained horde* of Africans, who will also be able to deal with North Africa and. Egypt without the deflection of any white troops from . Germany, and they will, in addition,, mean a great army planted on the flank of Asia, whoso force could be felt: throughout the Middle East as far as Per--sia—and who knows how much farther?' "The civilisation of the African natives, and the economic development of the Dark Continent must be, subordinated to the most far-reaching schemes of German world-power and world-con-quest. The world must be brought into subjection to German militarism, and,, as in former centuries, so notv again the native must play his part lit the. new slavery. When they talk ot African colonies, the Germans mean, fresh points of departure. new advantage points, and bases in • othei continents for that lust of military domination which, even in its iproyidentmil confinement to central Europe, is to-day-threatening the whole fabric of civilisation. What Britain Cannot Allow.

"The point of view of the British Empire is different. In the first place... it never had any military ambitions apart from the measure of sea poweressential to its continued existence. In. Africa it has never militarised the natives, and has • always opposed such, policy. It has always tended to study; the natives' interests. No impartial, person can deny that, so far from exploiting the natives for military or industrial purposes, British policy has, on the whole, had a tender regard for native interests, and the results have been, beneficial to the natives in their gradual civilisation. We have avoided the very dangerous and dubious policies of the German newcomers, and among: these not the least dangerous is to regard the native primarily as raw material w be manufactured into -military power and world power. .„.,., v "The objects ofg British policy m Africa are inherenffly pacific and defensive. We desire no man's territory, and only to live in r pence and develop tno great African territories entrusted to our Ca "We cannot allow the return of con. ditions which mean the militarism ol the. natives and their employment tor schemes of world power. We cannot; allow naval and submarine bases to be. organised on both sides of the African coast to the endangerment of tho Empn e. We must insist on tho maintenance ol: conditions which will guarantee through laud communications for its territories from one end of the continent to the other. In the future the lines of communication of the Empire should proceed not only by sea, but by land. One ot the most impressive lessons of the. war is the vulnerability of sea power and ea communications tlirough the development of undcr-wnter town*- " » probable, also, thai aerial nayiga ion may 'revolutionise tho present situation beyond anything dreamed of. now. Henco the necessity tf our werqising wise foiethou"ht for the future, and secunngUhe communications of the Empire by every legitimate branch.

The Dominions' Danger. "As long as there is no real change of heart in Germany and no final and irrevocable break with militarism, the law of self-preservation should bo considered paramount. No fresh extension of.Prussian militarism to other continents an! seas should be tolerated, and the conquered German colonies can only he legarded as guarantees for tie. future P<*<» opinion will bo shared by the vast bulk of the Dominions. Ihey have no military aims and ambitions, they should not be asked to consent to the relation to a militant Germany of fresh footholds or military, in the Southern Hem sphere, and thus to endang r the future of their young and 3 communities. The, ™t«£ Monroe Doctrine for the south, as keie has been a Monroe Doctano for thei«.U Behind the sheltering wall of such a doetrtne they promise to build. «p a |J, new peaceful world, not only ,or then selves, but for the .millions of Wad folk entrusted to their care. East Africa Not a "Side Show." "The enemy's stubborn defence of his kst colony fas not only been n great fent in itielf" but proof of the supreme 5 have PinsKinonw reading r b vond the confines of Africa It is i lißin H tci forweo that the East U ic' i ampaign while apparently a m o, side-show in the. world war may "o( W imvortant bearing on the future of the world. , , "At the conclusion of Face our state?, „„„ \vlll be benr in nnid these Lit issues, framrht with such consc !1« ™™ ami Hie Britirt Ita: " "-'concluded General Smuts. "Imny nxmv* the fervent hone that n »ml so' many of our heme, lost their live* 2 n-"ir where midm lh" most terrible conditions human loynHy m-d hrwan *"vi.-e wore nonrwl out for a groat cause, may never be allowed lo become n menace t" the futm'c peaceful development of the world. •