The Daily News WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28. UNITING SOUTH AFRICA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 78, 28 April 1909, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28. UNITING SOUTH AFRICA.

il'lie Mouth African electors have displayed a surprising and an altogether t unexpected degree of unanimity with re- } spect to tiie Constitution drafted by the I National Convention that is, those [ elgclors "who liave been consulted by I th«ir 'Parliamentary representatives. m ' inn Transvaal many meetings have been '. hekl, at every one of which the pro- r | posed Constitution was unanimously, ap- ' proved. Natal, dissatislied, as we "were ' £ all led to believe it was, with the Con--1 vention's handiwork, seems to have been < | content with a few public gatherings. 1 I and though these were decidedly lukcS warm as to the Constitution, no aosiile i motion, no suggestion of rejection, was . R forthcoming eitiier from the people or | the members of Parliament, in Cape . f Colony very few public meetings have ■ been held exclusively for the discussion I of the closer union schemes. i>uc tiierc S a scries of very able addresses iias been I delivered by eminent public men. The a latest Cape papers received contain two notable speeches on the draft Constitution. One was delivered last moith by Sir Jlenry de Villicrs, the Chief Justice —who was, and is, President of the Convention—and the 'other by Jlr, W. P. ! Schreiner, the brilliant !»'oulh African I advocate. >Sir Henry defends the Con- | stitution; Ur. Schreiner subjects it to a I searching and far from friendly criti- | cisin. And it would appear that the 1 arguments of the Chief Justice—himself ■ a non-Jiritisher in blood, and a direct 9 descenibuit of the banished Huguenots—--1 have prevailed with tite white iniutbitS ants of the Cape. We luive now in--5 formation by cable that the Houses of R Parliament in all the four uniting eoloH nies have approved of the Constitution. 9 Sir Jlenry de Villiers, we observe, ueprcjo cated the formulating of aineiidnieiits by H the colonial Parliaments. The Convents lion, it is true, anticipated that the different Parliaments, in file exercise of their undoubted rights, might either reject the 'scheme of union altogether, or "♦ propose amendments for submission to 4 the next meeting of the Convention, or ? accept the draft Act without any % amendment. "Juiowing as i do,'' said ❖ the Chief Justice, "what a dilliculty T there has been in arriving at any agreo--6 inent on contentious matters, and how T the acceptance of certain resolutions by J some colonies had been dependent upon J tlie acceptance of other resolutions -y T other colonics, J greatly fear that if 2 any material amendment should now be 7 proposed by one colony, every one of X the other colonies will immediately pro- ♦ pose equally material amendments T which the rest cannot accept. J. have I already seen several lists of aincml--5 ments which Parliament is to be asked J to insist upon. With a great many of <> them I fully agree, but J know that if i they are to be insisted upon as a siue qua non, there will be no union." Obviously the weighty words of Sir Henry de Villicrs have had effect. As lar as can be judged by tile cable news, the draft Constitution has now been unani- ; moiihly accepted, and precisely m tn form in which it left the Convention. The Convention was timed to reassemble in May or Jims for tlie coj--1 sideration of amendments proposed »y , the colonial Parliaments. Jn the event of the proposed Constitution being rc- [ jeeted it was understood that the t'on- . vention would be dissolved. Jf the draft ; Act has been accepted in its entirety ', thu meeting of the Convention —if it > does meet—should now be of quite a ' formal cnaractcr: but for the purpose of J forwarding the historic document to the > High Commissioner for despatch to ' Westminster. Thus a further, and the , most important, stage has been readied ■ in the process of welding together the ' principal of the colonies which to-day I constitute J3ritish South Africa. The ' lira 11 Constitution in many respects is a l rcinarkaoie achievement. No other part • of the Kmpire has presented to it the J problems and the" difficulties found at , the present time between the Zambesi • and Cape Agullias. Lnlau will remove [ many of the difficulties and solve some > of the problems. Vet it may at the ' same time intensify certain difficulties ! and render certain problems more in- ■ soluble than ever. The fact is already ' abundantly manifest that the native question in South Africa, of all questions in that country, is the one most likely to create the gravest of apprehensions. Cape Colony has dealt more generously with its native population than lias any other .South Afriea'i colony, The Cape s]>cnds, «n an average, ten times the amount per head on native education that Natal spends, and the Cape native for many years has possessed the franchise. In Cape Colony the natives are quiet, contented, progressive; in Natal the natives, or the vast majority of them, are troublesome, discontented, semi-civilised, The two cxlicpublics, in spite of stern Hutch statutes, appear to treat their natives not unkindly. Jsut only in Cape Colony have the natives the right to vote. The draft Constitution protects the existing native voters: but it provides, if Parliament thinks tit, for the non-registration of future native voters. Provision is likewise made for extending the franchise to natives in the other colonies or states when, in the opinion of members, they can be trusted to exercise the privilege. We fear! however, that much wader will have passed below the bridges before tjie electors outside of Cape Colony demand the enfranchisement of; flick * dark - skinned neighbors. The liuu'h-speakiiig inhabitants of Soulll Africa, down from the early slave-hold-ing davs, have always regarded the natives" as but hewers of wood and drawers of water. A clause in the Crondwet sets forth that "equality of the blacks with whites shall not be tolerated either in Church or State." JSut other generations are appearing on the scene, 'and no doubt South Africa will vet produce men capable of taking occasion by tire hand, capable of grappling successfully with euery danger and every difficulty as it arises. A great future lies before Suuth Africa, liellcral llotha seems to be tile only one ill the sub-continent who has imaged the country that is to be. The South Africa he sees in his mind's eye is not confined tip Natal, the Cape, the Orange Free State, and the Transvaal, or even with Rhodesia and the native protectorates added uicreto. Ins South j Africa is to extend north to the Congo j and the Lakes—an immense, rich, and populous area wherein to carry "the white man's burden." Probably there are few critics who would risk the attempt of trying to better the Constitution framed bystliose whom the Daily Hail dubbed "the thirty-two men at Durban." It is a truism t'iiat those standing outside see most of the battle. No one. we are convinced, who has followed the course of recent events in South Africa would wire to support the plea of Natal that federation, not unification, should be the form of union, federation with its State Parliaments, State Governors, and all the other attributes of "sovereign rights," would indeed Jiave been a grave and costly mistake. One strong central Parliament and one Government should prove suflieient for the. needs of the sub-continent, however widely its borders may be crtended and however affluent and powerful it may one (lay become. Perhaps the circumstance which will appear most interesting to the public outside of South Africa is the apparent ease and the undoubted rapidity with winch union has been accomplished, The (loser I'nion societies which were established hi nil the chief centres ol population did excellent preparatory work. They were the means of placing before the public much reliable information touching existing and possible schemes gi union, There has been no

people, as was the case in Australia. Indeed, the general body of the electors may be said to I have,'if anythhg, e*-| hibitcd too litlle. interest in the activities of their representatives. But South Africa doubtless longs for peace and <|niet. The ripples from the backwash of the great war may, in places, lie yet discerned. Tiled of discord, it would seem that the white inhabitants of the country are but desirous of removing from their midst all possible causes of future friction 1 , The proposed Constitution is not a perfect instrument—even the President of the Convention, wc see, can approve of amendments—but it is the one and only medium which oilers to secure present nnitv and future harmony. Therefore it has been accepted. History is being repeated. Henjainin Franklin, at the conclusion of the sessions of the I'hiladelphia Conventta, it may be recalled, said: "I confess that i do not entirely approve of this Constitution at present; but 1 am not sure that 1 shall never approve of it. I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, because 1 think .1 general government necessary for us, and there is no form of government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered. I doubt, too, whether any convention we'can obtain may be able to make a better Constitution. Thus J consent to this Constitution because I expect no better, and because I am 'not sure that it is not the best." Sentiments similar to these, we can well believe, were expressed freely in the South African Parliaments when they had before them the fate of the draft Constitution.