BENT ON BOTHA.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43116, 20 July 1907, Page 4

BENT ON BOTHA.

The London correspondent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph writes: “Mi" T. Bent's striking inidividuality has already 'brought him into prominence in Great Britain. Ho does not at all share the enthusiastic acclamation given to General Botha, and, sneaking recently, lie said:—-“We will not in my country echo this aiedamation of him. Wo have too .many broken-legs, too many wooden arms, and too many ■sorrowing widows there. I hope in the future Botha and his friends will keep their word, and be as true to the Empire as we in Australia.’ Some of the papers were very indignant with him for saying this, and waited on, him to get him, to retract. He explained to the papers that waited on him that it has always been his policy to speak what he thinks, and his explanation reads as follows:—T first smoke out what was in my mind at the moment, as I make it a rule always to do, hut I cannot help it if my utterances do not always anneal to everybody. But I added that it was difficult for Australians to join the English people in | acclaiming General Botha just, at pro-! sent, for we had, in Victoria, espeoially, only too many evidences of the South African war Still remaining with us. When the conflict broke out thousands of our best men threw: um everything to aid the Motherland, a, land which they had always been accustomed to, love and look upon as their own ’ real home, and we find it verv hard to forget that many of them have never returned. As Treasurer of Victoria, I could only say that I had to deal with so many cases of pensions to armless men l , men with wooden, legs,;, and poor widows, that one found one’s memory very retentive.”