AFRICA AND THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 141, 7 November 1914, Page 7

AFRICA AND THE WAR.

THE 50.1.-mWM'iU-.LUia;. _ i»i-:k iiu;i-:u)xaLAii:i.i<;-. Capetown, September 2-1. General Botha, our erstvvlnio l'ormidable enemy, and present loyai-to-the-Uickbono premier of the Un.on of South Africa, lius reached the pinnacle of his T.cdestal of popularity. In inc. face of a series of complicated, ,i"l>ciiltics lie., has announced li)s; jnlentioii to, rake command in person of the British So/uHi African expedition against OxHiiah South-/Vt'csf Africa, a piece oi Work which the imperial Government asked th(! I'nion Government to undertake. The announcement has called forth unwonted eiitlnisiii.:Jii, and is prolioi'iiced a maslcrslrokc. Asked by a 'i'less interviewer why he had personally undertaken the task, General Botha simply replied that it was his duly. Since taking Ministerial olliee four and a-half years ago, as the first Prime Minister of the Union of Soutu Africa, General Botha, and his g.eat, lieutenant, General Smuts, have shown themseKes to be statesmen of vision, oblivious to the passing winds of racialism, blow where they list. They have earrice": out a policy based on ;•■ h sic principle that the prosperity >-f :-;,uth Africa is dependent on the unit, and cooperation of the two wli'i dominant races, they have been .; voted to the -true and lasting infc ■ .■; of the , sub-continent, and at t!" -crr.e timo tl:cy Jiave been loyal nil'! ir'-jndly to the generous Empire of ■• !• '.-It South Africa forms il )iurt. T : - - i-v. o patriots has carried the m--b iv.te and ncre intelligent section •■'' :ho Dutch with them, and prohabiv i'i. :u'go majority of Ihem. Jsi.it not all. And now that the Empire is at w. r with Germany, that is the trouble "iv, THE r.OF.US .VXD Tti"; V,' Aft. The t Ilertzog Party. eoi-. ; .r':.;ng the Boer irreconcilables, and a few renegade British, wish seeming,- to enjoy all the benefits and privileges connected with the British Empire, given them without the obligations that it entails. In this tremendous crisis, n t!i■■ ICnipire's kistory, they want, forsooth, to be neu-t--al! During the week's special session of Parliament the Hertz"-.'''.■; tested the feeling of both the A-'iibiy ami the Senate, but thev had li: tie cause for satisfaction, as their sitting-on-thc-ftnco attilndft was condemn .j, ],v .i veto of f>2 to 12 in the Flo-:,- of'the Assembly and a vote n< ?. I ' - ■"> : n the Senate. In acj-oid with i.:,,. .action of the Mother o) Parliamenls. r-nd of the Tiii-liaments of (lie sister '.\immions, Gcveninnent. Ourjiosition i;:d -Uibor ssnk their political ditl'eiv.;--, - : n the {■rosence of the'common .',i, : .vv: the military and economic measures of the Gcvernment were prompt'" and all seemed well. OPERATIONS IV 'C.m\:.\\ S.V/ AFRICA. . I The principal military j, : w- : ,l of the Government was the :" -•■•iition—by retjucst of the Imperial --of certain operations by l : i,-oii tioops in German South.West' Africa, such operations being regarded •-: trategic importance, especially in ooee ion.wit'ii wireless couimunicatiou iii'i J-iuropc, which the Germans have <.. ■; iiatcd 'at Sv.akopmund. South Afric. , the one part of the Empire which is confrontel with a considerable , .. ut ,-i hostile land frontier. DEFECTION OP TiiK CiM-.1 AX'DAXTGENEHAb. Very soon after ■Parliament rose an i:uc.\peeU-i ami ,i.. -auaiion ; voto in Hie <>i ;• ■■,, ra; lii-y----(i>, the l.oininaiiu.UiL-;e-ii. u\i Ul tuc Union Forces; and mou- . ..^anssiug still were tin; circunislaiu-,■,, .ittemlaiit on tin: rey'Liiiauou. ..•.!,.:. .-. eiils lor tin: despaten of Lie i'\|i. i;:: ■■ Inid been IL.c-ng on piev-.oi.s to an-: >:-,r':ng the sitting of Parliament, and ale iiow well on the way to conipieuon, .■:■ imieh so, that on Sunday last a .-u.^., : force of I all arms, landed, without opposition, at .Luderitz liny, tlie pii:.. ■,-.: •..lernian harbor. Previous to this operation, a German force of ;i()d, c, ' h .\laxim». ' had attacked a Jjr.ti.su j' ■'. ■ station at Xakob, near the border. Of the I seven men occupying a., ~ation, the j covporal was kil.ed, on., a.oper was | severely wounded, one c«.. r .i, and the rest wore made prisoners. | At the end of last in-.!, came the i gnat surprise, it was Oi.'cially au- | r.ounced that General iiey.-i;-. the ComI n su'.dant-Goneral of the I moil Uofonce ] I'r.rees. had resigned his j.d-L. The cur-; I n.spondonee was paid shed on Mondnv. : , The contents of General Beyer's lo't- ! Id of resignation amazed tile public ' even mure than the resigualidii itself. His letter comprised three points—(l) j Disapproval of the expedition. (2) a j ti'i'ii ior the Germans, and (:)i an attack on -the good faith and .past-con-duct of Great Britain. And tais from an officer hold ng the Kings comiuisi sion, im oUieer acquainted with all ! the Government's plans, on whose >•(•- eciiimeiidation the -princiiiM oil'icers for the expedition had been appointed, and | actually on whose recommcndalion the pii.ns of operations had luen largelv ! filled! The .Minister of Defence (■(','( li- ! oral Smuts) put it mildly when he said ;, that the C'omniiindant-iU'iieralV. resig- . nctioii, and the terms accompanying it, had left a very painful impression. | THE GOVERNMENTS STINGING KIifUJ..Vi)KI.I. One sentence in General Smut's dignified and cutting leitVr uceepiiug the I resignation must be quoted: —■"Vou for- ; got to mention that since the South Afj ii.can War the Bnti.-di pcop;e gave iSouth Africa her entire . licedom under a j Ci-iistitution v.h.eii .'iiaie il possible for I us to realise our national ideas a'ong j oui own lines, and which, for instance.j iillo.ws :you to Verite with impiiiuiy ! a. letter for witch you would without I doubt be liable in the German ti'iiinre to tlio extreme penally/' There is , much food for thought'there. I Happily, this notable .desertion, in--1 stead of" act'ng as a discouragement, | has inspired the Government to great- , or efforts in its mission of duty. Gen- | oral' Smuts is now Commandant-Gener-al, in addition to being 'minister of J)e----1 fence, and the Prime Minister (General 1 hcttui) with splendid patriotism, has | announced that he would take supreme l command of the Expeditionary Force. I '-' >' Botha has at the same t»me scunded the tocsin, and has called for , ~W.'.' more men to vnlllllieel' for ;.el vie.'. : The Prime Minister's course ha« been i buoyed out for him be the failure of his military lieutenant. He has been j given the onportuuitv, and has grasjiI t;d it with both hands.