The Bolivar County Democrat., 1922-10-21

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety. Washington. d. Co
Entrance of southern Rhodesia into
tically arranged, will supply still an
other parallel between the United
States of America and Africa's United
States"
Just as the United Statns. a gener-
alton o. 80 ago, reached cat to the
west and ln;sue it's territories, one
after another, into states, so the Union
Of South Africa is reaching north
ward-it is in that direction that the
course Of African empire takes it's
way-and is incorporating the fron-
tier regions. Technically, the Union
has had no definite claim on the Brit
ish colonies, protectorates and regions
more or less under British control that
that it is 'heir to all South Africa"
and in adding southern Rhodesia it
seems to be collecting the first in
stallment of its patrimony.
Rhodesia is in many ways in con-
dition Of development comparable to
that of some of the western prairie
states when they entered our Union.
Only trunk line railroads have been
constructed for the most part; the
close network of the well-developed
country is yet to come. Highways,
too, are still few and poor. Both pro-
duction and markets are largely un-
developed, and the farmers and ranch
men necessarily live the somewhat
hard and primitive lives Of the from
tier. In recent years, however, Vic
toria Capital of southern Rhodesia) 9,
! LuBulawayo, Salisbury and other towns,
have developed into modern munich
palities with all the convenienceS Of
the western world
Still other similarities between
southern RhOdesia and some portions
Of the United States lie in physical
conditions and climate. The country
is plateau region, dry and hot dur
ing the southern summer, but with a
reasonable rainfall usually during 9th
er portions Of the year
An Empire Owned by a Company.
IN one way southern Rhodesia Is
without parallel in the United States,
for nothing approaching ownership Of
an empire by commercial corpor-
alton has ever come up in our history.
In fact, in the extent to which such
control has gone southern Rhodesia,
together with northern Rhodesia and
adjacent territories, stands alone even
In British experience which contains
the stirring history of the East India
company's exploits In India.
The region, nearly half million
square miles in extent, became,
through concessions from q native
chief, a royal charter from the Brit
ish crown, and by conquest virtually
the private property of the British
South Africa company, Of which Cecil
Rhodes was the moving spirit. The
company, as might be expected Of any
developmental enterprise, sold land,
leased mineral rights and built rail-
roads and other engineering works.
But besides all this it actually governed
the country, though in late years the
imperial government has assumed
some measure of control over the COM
pany's governmental activities.
The known presence of gold in con-
siderable quantities drew the atten-
tion of Rhodes and mis- associates to
southern Rhodesia. The precious metal
is scattered all over the country,
though only in a limited number Of
places has it's development proved
profitable. Some students assert that
this is the lost source of gold In the
days Of SolomOn-gold which was
brought through the Arabian port of
Ophir and so came to be called gold
of Ophir" Very extensive ruins of
great buildings solidly constructed of
carefully hewn granite blocks exist
near Victoria and are said to be the
forts and temples and workshops of
alien (perhaps PhOenician) gold seek
ers of the remote past. The ruins ex-
tend to port on the Indian ocean, in
what is now Portuguese East Africa,