The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-05
South Africa, Like Alabama,
 Is Troubled With Politician

and get 1t into working order. The Tour sets of old machinery in the
 four Colonies forming the Union have
 to be gradually displaced.
 Plainly this will be a long business and at the same time business apart from party warfare. It is work
 which should be done by the co-opera-
 ton of the most experienced men in
 all parties It does not call for the
 arts of the eiectioneering orator.
 Coalition. as It's advocates freely ad-
 init, could not last for ever. But dur
 Ing this preliminary work of firmly
 establishing the Union there is no
 cause for war. The founding of a
 proper Union Civil Service, the cen-
 tralization of the prison system the arranging for police. and defence and
 railway management. etc. are not sub 1ects which need necessarily provoke
 fierce party battles.
 The idea Coalition Ministry would include General Botha and pr. Jame- son, Mir. Merriman and Sir John Fraser ex-President Steyn and Mir Moor. It
 would represent all South Africa. and its work would be to establish a United South Africa on the firmest possible basis. But. unhappily, the coalition idea has been received with much opposition. Negotiations are still going on. and may go on for months. On any case, the Premier according to constitutional precedents MT. Merriman has first claim to the honor, the Cape Premier is not popu- lar in the Transvaal In the end MT. Merriman may like Sir William Lyme in Australia, have to be content with a seat in a Cabinet formed by an- other statesman.
 But it looks very much as though the first general election In South Africa vii be fought out upon the old racial lines. The parties may be labelled any way at all. but in reality they will De British versus Dutch And the unfortunate part of this will be that General Botha, who is really a man of progressive ideas will be forced back upon the more conserva- tive and racial Dutch organizations
 And if the struggle is upon these lines. then the Boers will win. Re- distribution will assist the towns which means the British In a straight fight between the British and Dutch. the British would win But, as usual. the British will split. One sec tion. answering to the Transvaal Na- tionalists of today will cooperate with the Dutch. Another section will allow a theoretical hatred of capi- talists to force them into the ranks of a Labor Party. And already we hear of Central Party. and various independents. and several secessions from the Progressive side; and all these movements will divide the Brit ish vote. Even Natal, which in the of few months ago was always balanced against the Orange River Colony. Is uncertain. General Botha. cleverest of political tacticians. appears to have already gained the sympathies of MT. Moor the Natal Premier. and though Durban may stand firm the rural districts may throw in their lot with the land own ing Dutch party. South African poli- tics at the moment certainly present a puzzle.
 So many candidates have been men tioned for the post of first Governor General that every fresh name Is re- ceived with a certain amount of eau ton. Indeed. the impression has been reviving lately that Lord Selborne would, after all, be allowed to inaug- urate the Union which has been ere ated during his term of office. But du- ring the last few weeks the discus sion in the English press of the claims of MT. Herbert Gladstone has