The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1913. OLD AND NEW.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 89, 19 August 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1913. OLD AND NEW.

( .A now and strange war is being fought |hi Soutli Africa—a conflict between the Old Doer and the Xew Doer, and Air L. E. Xeame, a Johannesburg correspondent gives the “Daily Mail” a line account of it. It is, he says, I a war in which Doer is opposed to I Doer. ' And'it is waged with pen |a ml ink—by post. It is' an epistolary | struggle for the moment; a campaign Iby correspondence. What the great mass of the Dutch dread more than j any tiling else is that it should deJvelop into an open conflict at the polls. I For that way lies the return of the British section to power. The forces 1 of racialism and reaction, led by Gen -i jerni HPrtzog, are attacking the army! of the Moderates, which swears alleg-i once to General Botha, the Prime Min-; ister of the U nion. General Botha I is the Xew Doer. He is the apostle |of racial conciliation. Ever since tho j juar ho lias stood for the new faith. Ho preached conciliation as a candi-| (date for the first Transvaal Parlia-j Jment. He practised it as Premier jof the Transvaal. He does the same I to-day as Prime Minister of the Union# I Between General Botha and Sir Starr

Jameson there stood I>ut the slightest, [difference. General Hertzog, on Die {other handj lias appealed always to |the Old Boer. Tie raised a hitter ■language controversy in the Free [State. His attitude has always given I the public the impression that he is anti-British. Since General Botha) | turned General Hertzog out of the D'nion Cabinet because he became an iimpossible member of a Ministry pledged to conciliation, the very virtue which) attracts Britishers to General Botha’s side has been systoinically dcnonnc-| ,ed as a vice. General Hertzog is) t credited with having brought about

the split in the South African Party,J which is really-the Dutch Party, and briefly the position is that the OKI Doer regards the New Boer as not Dutch enough. Mr Non mo goes onj to say that the difference may be putj in this way: General Botha places. South Africa first. General Hcrfczogj places the Boor first. General Botha aims at uniting English and Dutch ini one South African nation. General' Hertzog prefers a nation in two water-, tight compartments, and is mainly con-, corned in strengthening the Dutch I compartment. He accordingly appeals strongly to race prejudices and to the people rather than the Parliament. It is notorious that in many Dutch centres lie is looked up to as a national hero. General Botha might sweep the Transvaal and a great deal of Natal. But it is doubtful whether in a number of the old Dutch centres in the Cape the race champion from the Free State is not preferred to the apostle of conciliation from the North. How it will all end Mr Nea.me thinks it is impossible to predict with confidence, though it is unlikely that when it comes to the polls the Boers will allow any difference to endanger the power they have now gained, oven if they do quarrel bitterly amongst themselves.