The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-20

strong. however. seems to De the be- lief in the success of the work of the Convention that the correspondent re- ferred to mentioned q general hope of sending the Constitution home for rati- Hcation during the next Session of the Imperial Parliament.
 That result will, undoubtedly, be due in considerable part to the Trans vaal delegates. They not only came to Convention with a definite under standing upon the essentials to be kept in N,ew, but they have shown through out its proceedings a spirit of CO., operation which reflects the greatest credit upon Boers and Progressives alike. The. mannor In which they have addressed themselves to the task of reconciling racial feeling and rival interests may perhaps not unrea- sonably be taken, together with the declarations made by Mir. Steyn, as earnest of the dawn of q new ora in South African politics The influence exerted by the presence of the Conven- tion upon it's immediate surroundings in Natal has also been reflected to a considerable extent in other parts of South Africa. In Eastern Cape Colony the feeling In favor of unification is growing, and the same feeling is much stronger in Orange River Colony than 1t was two month ago.
 ! The reassembline, of the convention at Cape Town may perhaps lead to slmiier movement of opinion at the centre of affairs in the mother colony. Meanwhile, the smoothness of its de- Alterations hitherto gives reasonable cause to hope that the delegates will be able to agree upon at least one principle of fundamental importance to the future of South Africa, which was certain to be among the first to be discussed. That principle is the as. surance of an equal vote to every white man in South Africa. The en- deayor of one section or another to maintain an unequal franchise in It's own racial or local interests has hith- erto been the kchief cause of the dis agreements which have disfigured and embittered South African life. A de- cision, On the part of the representa- tives of the different colonies, to al- low no such strain upon the character Of the constitution, which they are commissioned to shape would Do the surest and most effective sign that the South African people are uniting to take their proper place in the great family of progressive nations.
 During the last six or seven years public attention has been drawn from time to time to the slavery still exist ing in the Portuguese colony of An gola, on the west coast of Central Africa and to the similar system for supplying labor to the Portuguese isl- ands of San Thonae and Principe, in the Gulf Of Guinea. The suspicious that had arisen from the accounts of Con- suls and travellers have now been arn- ply confirmed by the report of Mr. Joseph Burtt, who was specially sent out by three Britfsh cocoa firms and one German to investigate the dues- ton. The evidence furnishe ed prevents any doubt that, apart from legal terms and Government regulations which are not observed, the system of working the sugar, sweet potato, and coffee plantations on the mainland and the GO. coa plantations on the islands is jden- tical with slavery.
 Capturing Natives.
 The natives are obtained by puf- chase. capture, or trickery in the in- terior, are brought down to the coast In gangs, usually tied together at night with wooden shackIes are sold to recognized agents in the coast towns, and those that are destined for the islands are labelled and despatched in the ordinary steamers running about once fortnight By this means an increasing supply of laborers Cor the islands is maintained. and the number of natives exported annually, which averaged 5000 three years ago. has now reached nearly 5000. The consent of the natives Is hardly even nominal; and they are sold ct Q recognized price.