Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-01
SEES GODSEND
IN COALITION
CHURCHILL EXPLAINS PLAN
FOR TRANSVAAL
5oer and Brlton to BE Treated Alike
by Home Government, Which
Offers Africa a Con-
stltution
By Associated Press.

LONDON, July 3t.-In a speech of
great moderation, carefully designed to
propitate his opponents, Winston Spen-
GER Churchill, parliamentary secretary
for the colonial office, in the house of
commons this afternoon explained the
governments plans to confer a con-
stitution on the Transvaal.
Dwelling on the urgency of the
question, he declared the Transvaal is
the center Of South Africa and said the
new country reproduced in miniature
all the dark and tangled problems of
the old established European states.
The governments guiding principle
has been to treat the Boer and Briton
alike and to make no distinction in
granting the boon of British citizen
ship to the men who fought loyalty for
Great Britain and to those who re-
sisted the British arms with desperate
courage.
While the government had been
careful to secure for the British every
advantage they could claim, South
Africa's future depended on both races
learning to look to the mother country
as a friend
Who Will Vote
The government had decided for the
principle of manhood suffrage against
any property qualifi cation. Therefore,
every adult male 81 years old who
had been a resident six months in
South Africa, except members of the
British garrison, would be entitled to
vote under the secret ballot system.
Proportionate representation was not
popular and was incomprehensible in
the Transvaal, so it had been decided
to go straight for single member seats.
The population of the Rand, Mr..
Churchill continued, equaled that of
the whole of the rest of the country,
and on the basis of the census of 1904
it had been decided to allot thirty-two
members of the Rand, one to KrugerS-
dorp, six to Pretoria and thirty to the
rest of the country.
Fair to British
Lord Selborne, the British high COM
missioner in South Africa, Mr.. Church.
ill explained, had expressed the opin-
ion that this arrangement was per-
fectly fair to the British vote.
The Transvaal assembly would con-
sist of sixty-nne salaried members
British or the Dutch language would
be used in the transaction of public
business.
Mr.. Churchill declined to speculate
on the outcome of the election, but
said there were undoubtedly more
British than Dutch voters. He hoped,
however, they would produce coali-
ton government. Such a solution
would be a godsend to South Africa,
though the secretary was confident that
neither party would fail in its duty
toward the crown.
The speaker added that there would
be an express stipulation against sane
tioning labor of a servile character.
In conclusion he said that the gov
ernment's proposal must be accepted
or rejected as whole.
Debate Follows
An animated debate followed the clos
ing of Mr. Churchills remarks. Mr..
Balfour, winding up for the Unionists,
declared it to be a reckless and auda-
cious experiment He argued that it
was too near the war to expect the
Dutch to forget what they had suf-
fered, and more than human nature
could grant to expect them to be loyal
to Great Britain.
He declared an explanation of this
hurried procedure was the govern
ment's burning desire to get rid Of all
its economic questions in South Africa
which its rash pledges of general
election had brought on it.
Sir Henry Campbell-B -Bannerman, the
premier, answering Mr.. Balfour, said
that he had ne-'er listened to a more
unworthy, mischievous and unpatriotic
speech.
Cries of "Shame"
An exciting scene followed these re-
marks, the Unionsts shouting Shame"
gag" apologize" Withdraw" etc,
but the chairman called a division on
the question for the colonial secretary's
salary, which was carried, 316 to 49,
While this was happening in the
house of commons, Lord Elgin. secre-
tary of state for the colonies, had made
the same statement in the house of
lords as Mr.. Churchill made in the
house of commons. While Mr. Church.
i'll was pralsing the new constitution
his cousin, the duke of Marlborough,
who was colonial under secretary in
the late government, was denouncing
it in the upper house.
Lord Harris asked what flag would
wave over Pretoria twenty years hence.
Lord Miner declared he saw
tragedy behind the precipitancy of the
government and mourned that the
future of the Transvaal was to be left
to chance.