Norwich bulletin., 1922-04-15
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

(R. F. Alfred Hoern1e, in the New York
 Evening Post)
 The political history of South Africa since the war has been determined main B by three factors. First, there is the fight between the South African party led by General Smutz, and the nationalist party, led by General Hertzogi over Ire publicanisn1. Under this title the na- tionalists claim the right of secession from the British empire either for the Union as whole or at least for the Transvaal and Orange Free State Sec ond, there is the economic antagonism between town and country, between farmer and miner or manufacturer. And, third, there cuts across these issues vigorous labor party, which owes no lit tie of it's power to the fact that 1t num- bers in it's ranks the bulk Of the white workers employed by the government railways and is thus in a position to paFalyze the traffic of country which, owing to it's distances, is to an unusual extent dependent on it's railways.
 Behind these three fssues which divide the white population there looms the dark shadow of the native problem which is the more Tnefacing because 1t is rarely faced with an honest and single mind
 Up to the outbreak of the great war the nationalist cause did not make much headway against Both2s policy of con- ciliation and cooperation between the two white races. But the war, with it's talk of ernanepating small nations from the grasp of the big ones, revived old memories of independence and turned them again into living aspirations The pro-Boer sympathfes of Germany were recalled. Moreover the nationalists counted on a German victory in the war and hopeE to regain the independence of the old Boer republics as the price of neutrality. Hence, in 1914-1915 the abor- tive rebellion, or armed protest" against participation in the war. The prompt suppression of the rebels, and later Ger many's defeat shattered their dreams.
 Hertzog next tried to bring the nation alist cass before the peace conference al Paris But the deputation, which he per sonally led, got no further than MT. Lloyd George, who pointed out to 1t that the Union had been veI1lIrt aray formed by the four self governing colonies afxl could not be dissolved at the request of a ! minority. The nati0nalists thereupon 1 changed their tactics to constitutional 1 agitation for secession and at the nexi elections were returned in numbers equa' to the government party (S. A. p which was thus compelled to rely on the help of the unionists and labor parties l for a majority against secession. This 1 position of unstable equilibrium could not endure General Struts dissolved parliament and appealed to the countr5 l to dispose of secession once and for al 1 by giving the S. A. party a majority o1ei 1 ail other parties combined The Union
 ists, representing mainly the bopulatioi
 of English descent, responded to the ap 1 peal by amalgamating with the S. A. P, 1 which. thus reconstitlted, gained in tn,
 new house a sufficient working majorit!
 over all other parties combined.
 | This result however, was achieved no by gains from the 1atfonaIists, who re turned in undfminished strength. but b, gains from the labor party, which los half of it's seats in the towns to the ne7
 combination Of the Uniohist and Sout
 African parties. The labor leaders angri ly protested that the secession issue ha
 been a mere blind behind which to dea
 a smashing blow at Iaibor; nor it ther
 any reason to deny that a reduction i
 the strength of the labor party in par
 liament was as welcome to the govern
 ments as would have been a reduction i the strength of the nationalists. Genera Smuts would not have earned his repu
 tation for "sllmness'' if he missed an or
 portunity of killing two birds with on
 stone.
 The tactics of the nationalists are no,
 chiefly directed towards CD resisting
 liberal in1Inis ation policy. as likely [
 bring more pro-British voters into tn
 country; t2) exploiting every ineidet