Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-26
POLITICAL STIR
IN SOUTH AFRICA
PAPERS DIVIDED ON QUESTION
OF LEADERSHIP
DR.. JAMESON PICKED AS HEAD
OF PRoGREssIVEs
Proportional Representation, Formerly
Repudated, to Be Given Trial at
Municipal Elections at
johannesburg
RY j. VI. EGAN

CAPE TOWN, Nov. 25.-A coalition
having been ruled out of court and
most other political questions being
dormant for the moment, the news
papers Of South Africa have found the
leadership Of the different parties in
the union parliament a convenient
question to discuss. 1t began with the
Dutch press which, modestly assuming
that the leadership of their party car
ried the premiership with it, began to
canvass the claims OF those who might
be supposed candidates for this office,
1t is noteworthy that Ons Land, the
principal organ of the Bond in the
cape colony, discreetly rtfrained from
committing itself on this subject. Most
of the other Dutch newspapers, how
ever exercised less elf-restraint. They
excluded Mr.. Merriman with one
voice, and, generally speaking, agreed
to regard General Botha and former
President Stoyn as the only two pos
sible candidates. Some leaned to one
side, some TO the other, but the balance
of opinions, so far as the press is
guide to it seemed to be in favor of
General Botha.
The game was taken up by the op-
position papers. Among them there
was but one opinion expressed, namely,
Jameson was the only possible leader
of the United Progressive party,
whether i'm office or in opposition. In
this case the voice of the press may be
taken to represent pretty accurately
the opinions OF its readers. Dr. jane
son is the only leader on the pro
gressNe side who is sufficiently well
known and trusted at present over the
whole of South Africa to have any
chance of leading the party success
fully. Sir George Farrar has done very
well i'm the TransVaal and he has some
qualities which DR.. jameson lacks,
though, on the other side, he has
counter balancing defects. But, apart
from the prison equation, he is under
the disadvantage that his influence and
reputation are almost confined to the
TransVaal He is little known in the
Cape colony, and still less in Natal.
Moreover as a Transvaaler, and still
more as representative of the Wit
WatOrsranl, he would be regarded is
at the present time with a suspicious
eye by large section Of the com
munity in the two coast colonies which
in part years has turned johannesburg
into a sort Of bogey in its imagination.
Among Natal politicians there is no
one who has sufficiently proved his
capacity to stand in the first rank. If
such a one existed, and could cOncen-
tTate the Natal vote behind him, he
would have great claims to the leader
ship of the Progressive party as a
whole. But as he does not exist, and
as the Transyaal Progressive leader is
Handicapped out of the race by the
considerations already mentioned DR..
Jameson alone is left in the running.
There is no reason to regret this,' since
a personality can hardly be imagined
more suited to attract COnciiate and
weld into a coherent party the jarring
elements with which he will have toI
deal Ii might have been thought that
everyone would recognize this.
But, oddly enough, the NOlksstem,
the leading Dutch paper of the Trans
vaal, thought it incumbent on itself to
protest against the suggestion that DR..
Jameson should lead the Progressive
party. 1t justides its protest by rak-
ing up the history of the raid-a some-
what childish proceeding, considering
the wholehearted way in which General
Botha and Mr.. Smuts have welcomed