AFRICA'S TROUBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 247, 27 March 1915, Page 3

AFRICA'S TROUBLE.

DISFRANCHISED DUTCH.

THE COMING ELECTIONS,

BOTHA'S POSITION AFFECTED.

(Written for the Post by South African.) »

General Botha at the moment oec.ipies a quite remarkable position, indeed, one wliich probably never before fell to the lot of a Prime Minister within 'the .! Empire. He lias placed upon liiimelf the responsibility of personally commanding tlie Union Forces, and, having promptly and Anally stamped out the fires of rebellion among the Dutch, is about to proceed with the campaign which will drive the Germans from South-West Africa. General Botha is a brave man and honorable, and deep was his sense of the diAonor which recently darkened his country. In assuming command of ,tlie Union Forces his object, was two-fold—to thoroughly disassociate himself and the Ministry from the disaffected politicians, and to demonstrate afresh the absolute loyalty of the main body of the Dutch-speaking population. With respect to the public disassociation of himself ■ and his colleagues from men of the De Wet stamp, it should'b6 explained that then Sou'.h Africa was ringing with ill-defined rumors, all of which, however, agreed that General Botha and his Ministers were secretly in sympathy with the rebellion, \ Moreover, many Boers who joined the rebels now declare that they did so because they were assured that, 'later on," they would have at their head no less a personage than General Botha.

THE REBELLION AND POLITICS. The General's position in leading, the troops against men of his own race and speech, and against men alongside of whom lie may have been fighting not so many years ago, it will he acknowledged, was one which called for moral courage of the highest order. Further, it spoke of what may be termed a keen sense of national righteousness. But General Botha performed his duty thoroughly and unflinchingly. Jhe exact number of men who joined the rebel leaders is not known, and in all probability never will be known. Reports of a most exaggerated character were current in South { Africa —and were cabled to other coun- ! tries—concerning the immense commandoes which had been raised by Maritz, De Wet, and Beyers. The present J writer has rend one estimate which j placed the number of rebels at "over j 30.000." This number is, of coum, absurd. The Cape Times has given the number of rebels as about 8000, and ; this, no doiibt, is a correct estimate. Poor De Wet seems never to have had a greater following than 200 Boers, a considerable proportion of whom lind been unable to obtain rifles. ,A Cape resident, who was a prisoner ih Sout.h- ---; West Africa, states that when Marita rode off to* stir up the rebellion in the Free State he promised the Germans to return with a force of between 20,000 and 30,000 Boers. He returned, but his following was something short of 1500. The rebellion ended, one important point which remains for consideration is the effect the rebellion will have upon the politics of tl\e Uuion.

REBELS DISFRANCHISED. Among the Boer rebels are several degrees of guiltiness, and the punishment to be meted out will depend upon the part actually taken and upon the influences which led to the taking up of arms. Men who at the time were under the command of Maritz, and who obeyed his instructions in entering German territority and in opposing Union troops, obviously belong to a class different from the hostile commandoes as declared rebels. There were rebels against the Botha Government, and there were rebels against the King. That is speaking of the rank and file. Beyond these, again, is the preposterously large numbers of "leaders," varying in influence from two egregious predikants (Dutch clergymen) to real rebels of the order of Kamp, Maritz, and De Wet. A special Martial Law Order, published in Pretoria in January, provides for the disposal of the rebels and for the distinction of the different classes. Men who were merely overawed by Maritz. and were nof; actuated by any rebellious or treasonable motives, have been sent to their homes "to stay there on good behaviour, failing which they shall be liable instantly to arrest." The. question of their partial or complete amnesty has been left for the decision of Parliament. With, it may be, a few exceptions, every rebel in custody will be tried, the majority by specially-appointed Treason Courts, and in some instances under martial law. Whatever punishments follow, disfranchisement for a lengthy period must he decreed against ma ly thousands.

BOTHA'S PARTY AFFECTED. The Nationalist, or Sotha, Party must suffer severely in the matter of electoral support by the disfranchisement of so many thousands of voters. For it msiy bo presumed that among the rebels \\;ere some thousands of Boers whose vote helped to give the Nationalist Party a majority, and so assisted ir. making General Botha Prime Minister of the Union. Before ma'ny months have passed the Union Parliament dies by the effluxion of time, and there will follow a general election. A speculation of extreme interest is the effect of the disfranchisement upon General Botha's position as Prime Minister. The Nationalists emerged from the 1010 election with an overwhelming 'majority. But recently there has been apparent a process of regrouping, which promised to transform both politics and parties wit.hiu the Union. The Opposition and the progressive section of the Nationalists are at the present time scarcely distinguishable. while tiie reactionary portion of the Nationalists have assumed a more or less distinct form under the very doubtful guidance of Mr Tlertzog. Everywhere are heard the words that, after the war, neither politics nor parties can ever be the same. Assuredly in j South Africa they will never be as they were. There, the rebellion, the operations against the Germans, and General Botha's heroic self-abnegation have introduced influences which will bring about a rejuvenated, a better #Sou:h Africa. Meanwhile, the coming political contest is in the background. Tat British public in every part of the wn'id will watch with strange interest, even fascinating, the spectacle of the lute Boer commandant doing brave battle for the Empire in German South-West Africa.