Evening star., 1907-10-16
TRANSvAAL PARLIAMENT
BRITON AND BOER SIT TO-
GETHER IN COUNCIL.
Judge Enters Friendly Debate With
a Man He Once Sentenced
to Death.

Special Cablegram to The Star.
JOHANNESBURG, October l6-The
session Of the Transvaal parliament just
closed demonstrated very clearly that in
the war with England the Beers won. A
visitor from England. seeing the house Of
assembly in session at Pretoria for the
first time. could not readily dismiss the
story of the past decade He would be
struck by the spectacle Of Sir George
Farrar discussing Mr.. Gregorowskrs law
agents bill. For ten years ago Mr..
Gregorowsh sentenced Sir George to
death He could not hear Botha and
Smuts. and Schalk Burger and De la
Rey without remembering that five years
ago they lad not signed the peace of
Vereenfging. But happily the Transvaal
does not bother about these things.
In this respect one can honestly pay a
tribute to both Briton and Boer. The
hrst session of the Transvaars first re-
sponsible parliament has been absolutely
free from racialism. In the main the
Iransvaal has forgotten. For this at
least Providence can be thanked. The
losers won. But they have forgotten that
they ever lost. Which is perhaps the
best ending of ALL
Good Legislation.
the future of Transvaal politics upon
nothing more than the evidence of this
first session would be rash even for a seer
Caution has been the keynote of the gov
ernments policy. There were lapses into
rashness when q Boer bill and a drastic
native administration ordinance were
hastily introduced. But in a few days
dlscret1on was again held to be the
better part of valor. and the first
measure was jettisoned, and the second
so pruned as to become harmless Minis
ters were cautious even in dealing with
the Chinese, for after sacrificing a few
thousands on the altar of liberal prejudice
the balance OF the contracts were allowed
to be worked out. The main features of
the session were the excellent education
bill and the satisfactory land bank bill,
and in both laws the ministers stood firm
against the demands of their less con-
servative backveldt supporters.
Lines Are Changing.
Caution was an equally marked charac-
terstic Of the opposition. They made
fight over the labor question and the
guaranteed loan. but they were half-heart-
ed over the gift of the Cullinan diamond to
the king. Indeed, more than once their
leaders have been reminded that the duty
of an opposition is to oppose, and not SIM
ply to say ditto to Mr.. Botha. Yet. on
the whole, the policy of caution and COM
promise was the best. In a country new
to parliamentary life on British lines 1t
would be easy to create misunderstand-
ing. The Dutch have not yet grasped
that splendid principle of the house of
commons life which enables men to be
political antagonists and private friends.
1t must be remembered, too, that although
racialism has not ennbttered the first ses-
sion. the political division at the moment
is mainly racial. On the one side sit
Dutch-thinking people. on the other side
the English-thinking representatives.
Yet 1t may be doubted whether this will
long remain the dividing line. Despite
the fact that Cape history tells against
the conclusion. the probability Is that be-
fore many years the political parties in
the Transvaal will undergo remarkable
changes