The Dominion THURSDAY. MARCH IS, 1920. A DISQUIETING SITUATION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 148, 18 March 1920, Page 6

The Dominion THURSDAY. MARCH IS, 1920. A DISQUIETING SITUATION

The results of the recent general election in the Union oE South Africa will be very disappointing to all' who have been looking forward hopefully to the disappearance of racial divisions and the closer cooperation of British and Dutch to the common end of the advancement of the Union. It was anticipated that with -the passing of time the old Dutch irreconcilable elementheaded by General Hertzog would gradually diminish both in numbers and in the strength of their antagonism to assimilation with the British Empire. The liberty and powers of self-government given under the Constitution, and the fact that the Government of the Union has been mainly in the hands of the Dutch, with Genp-u, Botha and more recently General Smuts as Premier cncouragcd this view. But the recent elections have, to some extent at least, cast,a new light on the situation. The irrcconcilablcs have come back materially strengthened in numbers, while the - party of which General Smuts is the_ lender has been greatly reduced in strength. Thnueh the figures for the elections just held appear to have suffered .slichtlv in transmission, they indicate clearly enough the turnovei that has taken place, as compared with the election results in 1020. / 1915. 1029. South African Party ... 5-1 -10 Unionists -10 25 Nationalists 27 4.1 Labour 4 21 Independents 5 3 In the past the South African Party led by General Botha and Geneiiai, Smuts has held office with the aid of the Unionists, who represent whatf for the purpose of identification might be styled the main British Party. The Unionists have not so far allied themselves with the South African Party, and none of their members have taken 'office, but they have, generally speaking, supported the Government. The Nationalists .under General Hertzog represent the old Dutch irreconcilable element, while the Labour Party have refused to ally themselves with any of the other .parties. The gain in the strength of the Nationalists is the most significant and disquieting feature in the situation. It will -no doubt be recalled that in/June last a Nationalist deputation, headed by General Hertzog, waited on Mr. Lloyd George in Paris, and requested the restitution to the former South\ African llepublic and the Orange Free State of the national status which tliej possesses before the South Africa* war. This, of course, meant the overthrow ,of the Constitution oi the Union of South Africa, and the British Prime Minister pointed thi: out, adding that'the deputation represented,, only a section of the people of South Africa, and he could not see how the Imperial Parliament could reopen _ this grcal question. If the British Govern inent were to, intervene it would bt an interference with the _ rights oi the people of South Africa, whicl were once and foi all conceded wher the Imperial Parliament ratifiec the Act of Union drawn up by th< people of South Africa themselvc! and approved by their own Parlia ments. It is interesting to • noti that General Hertzog' admitted or this occasion that the Nationalist: had no complaint to make of an; interference bv the Imper:al Gov ernment with South. African affairs But the Nationalist Party appar pntly 1 ' still desires break awa; from the British Empire, or at an; rate this is .what they term thci: ideal. On his return to Soutl Africa after the death of Genera; .Botha, General Smuts embarked oi a campaign designed to win ove the less extreme members of th Nationalist Dutch voters. H made an earnest appeal for riationa unity, urging that with the cominj of peace it was time to make a nev beginning in a greater, wider, mor solemn'. South African spirit. Th broach in the ranks of the old popu lation must be healed, and ther must be whole-hearted co-opcratioi between the old. and the new popu lations. The time had come for ; new start on the basis of "thro fundamental positions": Pirsl:.—Aureomont to abide by th' Tiritish connection. Second.—The principle of frank, lion est. whole-hearted co-operation be hveen the white races. Third—The necessity for industrin development. This appeal, which was made ii September last, was welcomed b; the leader of the Unionists, Si: Thomas Smartt, and by Hr. Cresswell, leader of the Labour Party General Hertzog said the Nation alists agreed with the Prime Min ister with regard to racial co-oper afcion and industrial development 'but he shied off what Ire termci the demand that the Nationalist should abandon their claim of_ th right to. secede from the Britis' Empire. "If," he said, "Genera Smuts had confined himself to th practical question, that the ques txm of secession should not b pressed in the immediate future, i would have been quite another mat ter." On a later occasion Genera Hertzog elaborated this point. Th time, ho said, was_ not yet ripe fo active steps to achieve the country' independence, but they had th right to work until they could sa; "The time has now arrived." .It is the party holding thes views that secured the greatest mini ber of scats at the recent -election: Certainly its members number les than one-third of the total roll o membprs of the House of Assembly It is suggested in to-day's message that General Hertzog, _ being th head of the largest individual party sliould be afforded the opportunit; of forming a Government. As thi suggestion comes from one of th organs supporting General Smut it may be assumed that the ide; underlying it is to give the Nation alists a chance of experiencing th steadying influence of responsibility or possibly to enable the country litest the Nationalists in office. ! is obvious that the Nationalist could not carry on without the aii of their opponents, and to all an pearances General Smuts would b in a much stronger position thai General Heim'Zog in seeking sun port outside k ; :; ovn "arty. Th situation is one which must giv rise to concern not only to Soutl Africa b\ifc to the whole Empire.