Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-10
OTHER LANDS THAN OURS.

Africa for the Africans" is the latest
rallying cry OF the natives in the British
colonies of South Africa. The movement
which it symbolizes is spoken of "a
black peril" and possesses many elements
OF danger to alien rule. Prominence lie
given it by the pending agitation over the
fern OF constitution 90 be granted to the
Transvaal and the Orange river colony. In
the whole of British South Africa the
blacks outnumber the whites five TO one.
In the Cape Colony the negroes have been
given political rights. ana while the white
opinion on the subject is not unanimous,
ne change more radical than a special pre-
sentation (the Maori system of New Yea
land would be likely TO command q ma
jority. Nevertheless, the possession by the
Cape negroes of the same political rights
as the whites will be the most serious OBJ
stacle to federation when that question
comes to be considered. From the white
mans point of. view there are four main
solutions Of the problem Equal social and
political rights to thu blacks when quail
sed; a separate political representation OF
the blacks in such manner as TO perp=tu-
ate white supremacy; isolation Of Ike
blacks en- reservations Of their own, leav-
ing them to work cut their own develop
ment. and, finally. to treat the blacks aH
an inferior race and give them no Political
rights whatever.
After much deliberation. the czar, on the
suggestion of the ministry and the grand
dFuSal family council. has incorporates into
the fundamental law Of the empire hm-
tied bin Of rights. No law shall hereafter
become effective until 1t shall have re-
oeived the sanction of the councn of the
ssnpire and the national assembly. IT will
be noted that the eopulative conjunction
"and" is used The national assembly
must concur in the maHinE of all laws.
Either house may take the initiative In leg
islation ana ministers are required to an
swer interpretations. The weakness OF the
constitutional reforms lies in the reserVa-
ton by the car 81 the autocratie power
He may amend or disregard the fhnda-
mental law or any other law Of the en-
psre Nothing bat his Willingness not 10
do SO prevents the abrogation Of the edict
creating the National Assembly, and the
latter body has no power 10 modify or ADA
to the so-calle6 constitution.
The payment Of the members of the BRIT
ish House OF Commons is being seriously
considered by the liberal government AMI
q law authorizing Il may be enacted. The
premier has lately taken pains to INFORM
the country that all the selt-governing
British colonies pay their members OF Par
lament. his purpose apparently being TO
prepare aristocratic England for the blow
The traditional view over there is that
salaries for service i'm Parliament are de-
grading. but the view held by the new
labor party, which demands the payment
OF members in order that poor men nay
enter public life, now seems likely 20 are
vail.
Gold production on the Rand has IN"
passed the point at which II was H'ler
rupted by the Boer war The largest
production before the war was just under
! 600 600 ounces. in 1888 The proSuction OF
1909 would have been much larger had not
the war broken out in October. But in
1904 the production was a little more than
/ opo O0o ounces. ana in 1895 il was 4,SsI.z2i
ounces. This IL worth about d00,Ooo'Oso,
and mining. although already gSing seeD,
can probably be pursued with suostanusl
returns for thirty and possibly forty years
I
! railroad through the Nubian desert
from the Nile To the Red sea has been
onepcd Cor business. II is $50 miles long
and cost SsOCc.nn. Rerber Is the Me TER
minus The Red sea terminus is the new
4 town Of Port Sudan, thirty miles norts 81
suakin. where there is naturally good
and we'll protected harbor. The improve
ments at this port have made astonishing
progress In the last year. Many houses
have been built COR the whites, a railroad
station and a lighthouse bave been COM
pleted, 400 laborers are at work improving
/ the port and IL Is expected that the work
ing force will be increased 70 500 this
samner. Suai.in. 50 long famous as the
starting point OF caravans between the Re-
sss and the Nile il becoming 4 place OF
! Httle importance British eHaerprises have
I abandoned Il because Il is unhealthful;
the passage through the eeral reefs to the
open sea IL dangerous, and - other re-
spects the place n inferior 70 Port sudan
/ for commercial purposes. The country
through which the new line passes can