The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-08
SOUTH AFRICA
FACES CRISIS
Lord Selborne Parallels Existing
Conditions in English Posses
sion to Confederacy Fol-
lowing Revolution.

Wnen Tie ytHf ASVf N&"HSN sh~ ASNe
British governments or countries
Cape Colony, Natal. the Transvaai and I
the Orange River--were being divided /
again by their railroads into groups or
two. ON cfal Britons, unable to over
come the natural and economic rail-
roads geography of country whose
people they had conquered. even were
beginning to fear that this separation
might open such breach between
the two groups that the arbitration
of the sword and the gun might again
be the result. Lord Selborne, governor
of the Tranvaal and Orange Free state
and high commissioner Of all BRUSH
South Africa, was even moved to make
an official investigation and report for
the Imperial government, and in 1t ne
pointed out very clearly that this
breach was widening SO greatly thar
war might result. 1t was in this re-
port, later prepared and published as
g review of mutual relations OF the
South African colonies. that TINS
broad minded and titled Briton began
to preach George Washington ana
American courage and self sacrifice TO
! the south African colonies. He began
calling, in the name Of zone of the
greatest Engiishmen and the first
| great American. for the South Ami
! cans to shape their steps after the
Americans and pool their benefits and
their troubles into one national life,
says the Bloemfontein correspondent
| of the Indianapolis News.
| In Union Thsre Is Strength.
There can be nothing more interest
| ing on the occasion OF the birth or
| the new South African nation, than TO
observe the effect of American AFFAIRS
| of a century and third ago in this
/ distant land. Lord Selborne, taxing
/ down American reading. and reading
7 TO the people OF the four British COLO
/ nies--and especially from +. $. DIVERS
! life of Alexander Hamilton-showed
/ that IL took more than war OF inoe-
pendence to make the American ma
| ton. The war had only created states.
each one independent and intent on It's
own rights and its own privileges ana
| pursuing those things that would ad-
| vance it. Each one claimed rights
| over certain customs waterways ana
travel routes Lord Selborne showed
I that these separate and conflicting
/ self-interests produced fierce antago-
I nisms Addressing the four South
/ African British colonies similarly De-
I ing estranged, he declared:
1.-THE thirteen American colonies
| fought side by side until i7s3. when
their independence was acknowledged.
| and then, within two years. they al
most fought with one another. Penn
I; sIyvRn.a was at odds with Delaware,
| Connecticut with Rhode Island and
| New York; New Jersey with New York
and Pennsylvania; North Carolina
| with South Carolina ana Virginia,
/ Vermont, New Hampshire and New
York were actually on the brink OF
! war. From such calamity America
| was only saved by the establishment or
the Union in 1Tss which was, In TACT
| - arartt1y. f,f ray@YruaAnf cOmnete
TO decide Interstate questions. In this
instance customs questions were the
/ oecas Sion Of strife, but how much more
| difficult and dangerous the matters IN
/ dispute would have been had each
government controlled railway of It's
own? - In that ease, as in south
| Africa one state would have held py
the throat the entire trade of another.
Under such conditions the only alter
natives to union are war on the sub
| mission of domestic affairs to the
strong control OF come impartial pow
err outside the country, or. in plain
words. a surrender of some of the most
cherished principles and privileges OF
self government.
Cohesion Advocated.
Lord Selborne not only found this
parallel condition between the Auferi-
| can republic and the South African
colonies, but also turned again TO
WASHINGTON. in sounding warning TO
the South Africans against building up
a great foreign port-Delagoa Bay. He
read from r. s. divers Alexander
Hamilton to the peoples of the four
colonies the following;
In the early spring of 1885 O modest
but memorable meeting took place at
washtngton's country seat OF Mount
Vernon between representatives from
the States OF Maryland and Virginia
The occasion was a conference In re-
gard to waterways between the East
ern settlements and the Western I'M
peopled land lying in the Valley Of the
Ohio and TO the northwest De-
veIopment of the Western country
. was one OF the great dreams OF Wash
[ ington's life. He foresaw the great i'm
portance of these possessions at time
|, when few men were willing to give
them much thought Even the Pc
. cuIiar advantages OF this territory APP
peared TO Washington 10 contain some
: not inconsiderable dangers. The
| splend.d waterways OF the Mississippi
and its tributary streams were nos
an unmixed advantage, seeing that the
, mouth and the lower reaches were
/ In the hands OF Spain, who also ex-
tended a shadowy claim to the whole
west bank and the unknown region
/ beyond. The easiest course for the
, new settlers was to drift their produce
down the broad current to New Or
leans and the dread OF Washington
was lest this tendency might influence q
, habit OF trade with q foreign power;
, an intimacy ard mutual interest which.
I in the end, might lead TO a detachment
, from the Union. Consequently
, he was more concerned to develop the
/ natural trade routes from east to west
by clearing the waterways OF the
, James. the Potomac and the Ohio and
. by the construction OF system of sup
; Elementary canals. II was FOR the adj
! iustment Of certain differences and TO
procure the corporation OF the two
states whose sympathies had already
/, been enlisted in this enterprise that
, the meeting took place at Mount Ver-
non In March. l7s5. A the delegates
} had come together In a businesslike
+ ! and peaceful spirit. other matters Of
/ mutual interest were brought tactfuliy
|. under iiscusaion---the advantages oil
uniform currency and system Of duties
! the need for general cohesion and
] | mutual support among the confeder-
| ated states Under the spell OF q great
, character prejudice was for the mo-
! ment forgotten and Invitations were
! issued to Pennsylvania and Delaware
/ ! 10 Join In the discussion. But good
, feeling expanded even further
: and II was ultimately decided to pro-
: pose to all the Is states that In ths
/ a,,t,,nn1 NJ the following wear (17S6)