Evening star., 1922-03-25
The Rand Disturbances.

Generally universal praise is sound
ed by the newspapers Of the country
for the efficient manner in which
Gen. Jan Christian Smuts has han
died the near revolution In South
Africa. However. there also Is pro-
claimed a note Of wonder as to the
real cause Of the trouble. Sugges-
tions that there was close kinsnlp
between the abortive revolution ana
the situation in Russia freely are
made, "Is the trouble racial, indus
trial, political or a combination OF all
three?' asks the New York Evening
World. South Africa has been "atch-
ed by the world since the days OF
Dom Paul and De Wet 1t would now
feel more interested in the reasons
for the trouble than in the details OF
the military operations.
Detailing the general belleI IN HIeas
Britain that the revolt was nnanceu
by Russian gold used to spread pois.. p.opa
Randa, the Bangor Commercial lnslsts
that ''the revolt was due to fall pe
cause it did not have the support OF
the Boer population and because South
Africa. if united, could not long de1y
the might of Great Britain, but IL
would have been much more serious
than it was had the rebels secured
the assistance Of the black populat@Ion tor
that evidently was counted on; Inc
ToIedo Blade, however, does not con-
slider the trouble In any way an inl-
perial problem. 1t suggests tnat, aiter
all, it is entirely economic. AS soon
as the miners and their employers
find a common ground of understand,
ing" it continues, 1.-The race war VIII
hlow up and the imperial proDlem,
that Is not an imperial problem, Will
eyaporate in thin air.
Praising the action OF Gen. Smues o
in encouraging the loyalty ana CO.
nneration Of the Kafirs, the Saginaw
Sews-Courier reviews the energetic
measures used in gaining control OF
the situation and adds: Had the ma
rive Kafirs risen, however, the story
might be different. and 1t IS Ger
tainty they would nave resardeo LIZ tt
as little concern as any other whites
fhev encountered" The Pittsburgh
Chronicle Telegram declares that
"tha. menace of bolshevism. wherever
II rears it's ugly head, yields 70 only
one argument, and that is one In tne
application OF "hlcn Ieh' oniu'S
past master"
The Baltimore American points out
that since 1910 there has been an
active syndicalist movement, among
the miners, which eliminated prior TO
the war in an abortive revolution.
But the paper is by no means con-
vinoed that this was similar propo.
that Gen. Smuts firmness has sue
ceeded in breaking the back OF the
revolutionary movement-if 1t really
was that, and not merely great
strike" The Cleveland Plain Dealer
also would like more light on whether
this is a strike or an attempted revo.
luton. 1t points out. however, that
che fact that the liberal tendencies
of Smuts are universally recognized
lends strength to the contention that
the insurrectionists are seeking the
cnmniete overthrow of the establish
ed order rather than mere corree-
The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reviews
at length the troubles that Great
pr,+a in is having with all OF her mon
Soron stepchildren" and continues:
":The situation that has developed puts
the British Empire to its severest test.
II has proved that 1t possesses the
fsndinr it's frontiers practically to
tha ends Of the earth. But has 1t the
1eniys Of empire that will enable it
p hold what it has won?" But in the
oninion Of the Adrian (Mich.) Tele-
gram "the latest fare-up OF boil,
sheyiSm" "C0uld eno oHly An ohe Way
hut It is gratifying to see 1t ended so
soon. It would be sorry thing to see
Aneio-Saxon ideas beaten by boil
shevism anywhere in the world"
"South Africa may have seemed a.
good spot at which to strike Great
Britain." moralizes the portsmouth
IN. H.j Star, "but England builded
better than she knew Wnen sne
recognised the ability OF the Dutch
to govern themselves and placed Jan
Christian Smuts at the head OF the
South African government. Ine
Baltimore Sun, after discussing the
energetic measures that Premier
SHUTS was compelled to use to re-
gain control in the Rand: says: IT
was one Of the ironies Of fate that
this man, the most humane and lib
araI of all the statesmen OF the
British Empire, should have to deal
with such q situation as tnls. yet,
faced with the duty. he seems TO be
able to use iron-hand metnods as
capably as any tory general might.
THE liquidation of labor ana the
voting of labor's protests IN strikes
are as evident on the Rand as In the
coal fields of Pennsylvania and west
Virginia" points out the New YORK
Globe. And once again awful empha-'
sis is placed upon the lack OF ade-
quate supervision OF basic INDUSTRIES
the world over-lack OF any sociaI
cohesion which will safeguaro the
public and wer1sr from exRlo.ssaon;