CHAPTER 2. THE CAUSE OF QUARREL.

yotherpeopleuponequalterms,butclaimtobeaprivilegedclasswhoshalldominatethenewcomerscompletely.Theyareoutnumberedintheirownlandbyimmigrantswhoarefarmorehighlyeducatedandprogressive,andyettheyholdthemdowninawaywhichexistsnowhereelseuponearth.Whatistheirright?Therightofconquest.Thenthesamerightmaybejustlyinvokedtoreversesointolerableasituation.Thistheywouldthemselvesacknowledge.'Comeonandfight!Comeon!'criedamemberoftheVolksraadwhenthefranchisepetitionoftheUitlanderswaspresented.'Protest!Protest!Whatisthegoodofprotesting?'saidKrugertoMr.W.Y.Campbell'youhavenotgottheguns,Ihave.'Therewasalwaysthefinalcourtofappeal.JudgeCreusotandJudgeMauserwerealwaysbehindthePresident. Again,theargumentoftheBoerswouldbemorevalidhadtheyreceivednobenefitfromtheseimmigrants.Iftheyhadignoredthemtheymightfairlyhavestatedthattheydidnotdesiretheirpresence.ButevenwhiletheyprotestedtheygrewrichattheUitlander'sexpense.Theycouldnothaveitbothways.Itwouldbeconsistenttodiscouragehimandnotprofitbyhim,ortomakehimcomfortableandbuildtheStateuponhismoneybuttoill-treathimandatthesametimetogrowstrongbyhistaxationmustsurelybeaninjustice. Andagain,thewholeargumentisbaseduponthenarrowracialsuppositionthateverynaturalisedcitizennotofBoerextractionmustnecessarilybeunpatriotic.Thisisnotborneoutbytheexamplesofhistory.Thenewcomersoonbecomesasproudofhiscountryandasjealousofherlibertyastheold.HadPresidentKrugergiventhefranchisegenerouslytotheUitlander,hispyramidwouldhavebeenfirmuponitsbaseandnotbalanceduponitsapex.Itistruethatthecorruptoligarchywouldhavevanished,andthespiritofabroadermoretolerantfreedominfluencedthecounselsoftheState.Buttherepublicwouldhavebecomestrongerandmorepermanent,withapopulationwho,iftheydifferedindetails,wereunitedinessentials.WhethersuchasolutionwouldhavebeentotheadvantageofBritishinterestsinSouthAfricaisquiteanotherquestion.InmorewaysthanonePresidentKrugerhasbeenagoodfriendtotheempire. SomuchuponthegeneralquestionofthereasonwhytheUitlandershouldagitateandwhytheBoerwasobdurate.Thedetailsofthelongstrugglebetweentheseekersforthefranchiseandtherefusersofitmaybequicklysketched,buttheycannotbeentirelyignoredbyanyonewhodesirestounderstandtheinceptionofthatgreatcontestwhichwastheoutcomeofthedispute. AtthetimeoftheConventionofPretoria(1881)therightsofburghershipmightbeobtainedbyoneyear'sresidence.In1882itwasraisedtofiveyears,thereasonablelimitwhichobtainsbothinGreatBritainandintheUnitedStates.Haditremainedso,itissafetosaythattherewouldneverhavebeeneitheranUitlanderquestionoragreatBoerwar.Grievanceswouldhavebeenrightedfromtheinsidewithoutexternalinterference. In1890theinrushofoutsidersalarmedtheBoers,andthefranchisewasraisedsoastobeonlyattainablebythosewhohadlivedfourteenyearsinthecountry.TheUitlanders,whowereincreasingrapidlyinnumbersandweresufferingfromtheformidablelistofgrievancesalreadyenumerated,perceivedthattheirwrongsweresonumerousthatitwashopelesstohavethemsetrightseriatim,andthatonlybyobtainingtheleverageofthefranchisecouldtheyhopetomovetheheavyburdenwhichweighedthemdown.In1893apetitionof13,000Uitlanders,couchedinmostrespectfulterms,wassubmittedtotheRaad,butmetwithcontemptuousneglect.Undeterred,however,bythisfailure,theNationalReformUnion,anassociationwhichorganisedtheagitation,camebacktotheattackin1894.Theydrewupapetitionwhichwassignedby35,000adultmaleUitlanders,agreaternumberthanthetotalBoermalepopulationofthecountry.AsmallliberalbodyintheRaadsupportedthismemorialandendeavouredinvaintoobtainsomejusticeforthenewcomers.Mr.Jeppewasthemouthpieceofthisselectband.'Theyownhalfthesoil,theypayatleastthreequartersofthetaxes,'saidhe.'Theyaremenwhoincapital,energy,andeducationareatleastourequals. Whatwillbecomeofusorourchildrenonthatdaywhenwemayfindourselvesinaminorityofoneintwentywithoutasinglefriendamongtheothernineteen,amongthosewhowillthentellusthattheywishedtobebrothers,butthatwebyourownacthavemadethemstrangerstotherepublic?'Suchreasonableandliberalsentimentswerecombatedbymemberswhoassertedthatthesignaturescouldnotbelongtolaw-abidingcitizens,sincetheywereactuallyagitatingagainstthelawofthefranchise,andotherswhoseintolerancewasexpressedbythedefianceofthememberalreadyquoted,whochallengedtheUitlanderstocomeoutandfight.Thechampionsofexclusivenessandracialhatredwontheday.Thememorialwasrejectedbysixteenvotestoeight,andthefranchiselawwas,ontheinitiativeofthePresident,actuallymademorestringentthanever,beingframedinsuchawaythatduringthefourteenyearsofprobationtheapplicantshouldgiveuphispreviousnationality,sothatforthatperiodhewouldreallybelongtonocountryatall.NohopeswereheldoutthatanypossibleattitudeuponthepartoftheUitlanderswouldsoftenthedeterminationofthePresidentandhisburghers.OnewhoremonstratedwasledoutsidetheStatebuildingsbythePresident,whopointedupatthenationalflag.'Youseethatflag?'saidhe.'IfIgrantthefranchise,Imayaswellpullitdown.'Hisanimosityagainsttheimmigrantswasbitter.'Burghers,friends,thieves,murderers,newcomers,andothers,'istheconciliatoryopeningofoneofhispublicaddresses.ThoughJohannesburgisonlythirty-twomilesfromPretoria,andthoughtheStateofwhichhewastheheaddependedforitsrevenueuponthegoldfields,hepaiditonlythreevisitsinnineyears. Thissettledanimositywasdeplorable,butnotunnatural.Amanimbuedwiththeideaofachosenpeople,andunreadinanybooksavetheonewhichcultivatesthisveryidea,couldnotbeexpectedtohavelearnedthehistoricallessonsoftheadvantages