Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-06-23
UNION or SOUTH
AFRICAN STATES
" - y = =
How Cecil Rhodes Cream of
a;= Empire Was Realized.
GREAT new ERA OPENED UP.

Whoie united Country Expected to Be
Wonderfully Strong AmaIgamation.
Business of Its Provinces Will Be
lmmense-Adminstra Offices ok
the Government In Power.
Cecil Rhodes lies buried these eight
years on one of the Matopo hills that
he loved and left n fund to preserve
and beauufy, and yet so clear was his
vision OF the future that in his will
ne left his estate and house. De Groote
Scbuur. for residence for the prime
minister OF the federal government of
the States of South Africa when con-
shtuted.' The Union of South Africa
mas now been formed. and where
Rhodes foresaw an inevitable fedora
ton closer tie has bound the erst-
while colonies of the Transvaal, Ma
tai, Orange Free State and Cape Colo
ny, reducing them to provinces and
raising them. welded as one. 10 stare
Of high dominion.
The fourth South AfricaG customs
and railways conference Lstt at Pre-
toria on May 4. 1908. for the purpose
of drawing up new customs agree
ment and settling some tntercoloniat
disputes over railway rates, bur the
delegates turned at once to the far
greater issue which lay behind these
and on May passed the resolution to
| form draft constitution
This national body met at Durham
on Oct IL, 1908, and the delegates in
cluded such men as Generals Botha.
SHUTS, Hertzog and De Wet and DIR.
Jameson, DR.. Smartt and j. W. Sauer.
Constitution Carefully Revised.
In secret session they agreed to
unite. and the convention was ad-
1ourned Nov. to reconvene at Cape
Town on the 23d of November. There
this closer union convention In Feb
ruary brought its deliberations to a
close, having successfully elaborated
q draft constitution, which was sub
mitted in March to the parliaments OF
the different colonies sitting simul.
taneously '' -
The chief difficulty was In reconcil-
ing the interests of the coastal and
inland states, but finally the thing was
settled to the satisfaction of each sep-
arate parliament, and July l, 1903,
saw nineteen delegates, including tba
four prime ministers, from the COLI
onies in London to watch the passage
Of the bill through the imperial par,
lament.
Only minor changes were made in it,
and 1t received the royal assent on
Nov. 20. 1t provided that royal
proclamation might be made within
year Of the passing of the act to the
effect that the four. colonies should be
united in one government under the
name of the Union Of South Africa,
and provision was made for other ter-
ritories Joining the union later.
The administrative offices were to
be governor general appointed by
the king at salary of $4,000 a year
and an executive council, which would
be cabinet of advisers; the legislative
branch, senate composed of eight
members from each province and
eight appointed by the governor. and
q house of assembly with ffty-oue
members from Cape Colony, thirty
six from the Transvaal. seventeen
from Natal and seventeen from the
Orange Free State.
Great Business Outlook.
The membership in both houses is
limited to persons of European descent.
The new union will have an area of
almost 100000 square miles. taking In
the southern end of Africa and extend
ing from the Atlantic to the Indian
ocean. II will have population of
about 5,500OcO, one-ffth OF whom are
whites
The combined business of its prov
inces will bp immense In 1907 the
imports OF Cape Colony amounted to
over $24G.OOoOOO and the exports to
over S222, ,OO0,G0O Natal in 1907 had
imports amounting to S33,0O0.0O0 and
exports to S4S.un0O0 The Orange.
Free State in the same year figured it's
imports and exports both in the neigh
borhood of SlS00U.O00.
The Transvaal. founded in 1881 by
Beers from Cape Colony, values its
imports at over S7S.000000 and it's ex-
ports at more than S156,0O0,000.
Hardly.
An English political speaker was ad-
dressing an audience. Urging his
hearers to give utterance to their
views. he said, IF we remain silent
the people will not bear our heart
rending cries.