Native Life in South Africa Part 37

Germany, he said, had a ten years' treaty with England and could not go to war against the British, who were there again too smart for us.

When Queen Wilhelmina was in Germany the Kaiser said to her: "Tell the Transvaal not to declare war against England just yet ----."

Commandt. Vermaas: "And you call it friends.h.i.+p. Why promise us help when they had a treaty with England?"

After some dialogues, in which the Bible was quoted on both sides, for and against the expedition, a resolution was adopted, by eighty-nine votes to twenty-three, against the invasion of German South-West Africa.

An aged Dutch gentleman remarked that the late Republican Government made a mistake in first sending an ultimatum to the English, and in attacking German South-West Africa the Union Government was repeating the same mistake.

Oom: Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?

Speak, nephew, were you by when it began?

Neef: Here were the servants of your adversary And yours, close fighting ere I did approach: I drew to part them; in the instant came The fiery Tielman, who swung about his head And breathed defiance in my ears . . .

While we were interchanging, thrusts and blows Came more and more, and fought on part and part Till the Judge came, who parted either part.

According to 'Het Westen' of Potchefstroom, over a thousand Burghers packed the Lyric Hall on Friday, October 2, 1914, to hear General De Wet speak against the invasion of German South West Africa.

Apparently this was an attempt by the Backvelders to challenge the enthusiasm of the townspeople in the various centres who had been pa.s.sing loyal resolutions in favour of the expedition and of confidence in the Union Government. Not all the supporters of the Backvelders' cause could gain admission to the hall, which was packed almost to suffocation before the hour of meeting. Several prominent "Free" Staters were on the platform with General De Wet. A rabble of roughs had been brought from the outskirts of the town by opponents of the cause, so the paper says, to interrupt the proceedings and to create disturbance.

They waited outside and were "responsible for a state of things which is wholly unknown in the history of South Africa."

Admission was by ticket, and everything was in order up to eight o'clock, when Commandant Erasmus took the chair. General De Wet was carried shoulder high into the meeting amid thunderous applause.

The local police force had had timely notification that the meeting was arranged for, but the paper complains that only seven of them were to be seen about the building, and these seven apparently were seized with a blindness of a mysterious kind, for they saw nothing of the disturbance that occurred during the meeting, except when it was thought necessary to arrest an Afrikander.

The chairman having opened the meeting, Professor Duvenage welcomed the visitors from near and far, including the ladies in the gallery.

The professor, alluding to the English meeting which took place in the town hall a few evenings before, observed it was not interrupted by any one. This meeting, he said further, had been called to discuss the South African aspect of the war. It had nothing to say about the operations in Europe; all that they wished to protest against was the invasion of German South West Africa. Hereupon dead cats, brickbats, stale eggs and other things were hurled into the hall through the windows, occasioning an indescribable commotion. Angry Afrikanders jumped out of the windows and seized some of the offenders and administered such a sound thras.h.i.+ng to one of them that he only escaped serious bodily harm by lying down.

The dead cats, bricks, etc., were picked up and thrown out of the window; but, as the interrupted meeting was about to proceed, some one disconnected the electric cable and plunged the building in darkness.

The confusion became confounding. Matches were struck in several parts of the hall, and it was with considerable difficulty Generals De Wet and Kemp were heard suggesting an adjournment of the meeting to the Dutch Reformed Church Square. The crowd pa.s.sed out of the Lyric Hall and marched in the direction of the Dutch Reformed Church Square, closely followed by the hooting band of interrupters.

A handy carriage procured from somewhere served as a platform and, under the light of Africa's silvery moon, 1,500 Burghers crowded round the improvised platform while the turbulent interrupters screeched some English national airs. General Kemp, who warned the crowd against the danger of being struck by missiles, asked them to squat on the ground, so as to be better able to hear General De Wet.

The guerrilla General, having stepped upon the carriage-platform, said to the audience: "Yes, sit down flat so that those disturbance-makers may hurl their missiles at me on top of the carriage. (Laughter.) Some of those who came to interrupt peaceful Afrikanders may yet become children of death before the evening is far gone.

(Boos from the opponents.)

"That may be European or Downing Street civilization, but it is unknown in South Africa; but let us hope that folks with such upbringing will yet live to change their manners. Those who are standing against the wire fence are asked to come nearer and not be afraid, if not, then let them go to their homes, wherever those may be, and leave us alone.

I promise you that within a year this disrespectful crowd will have been taught to respect the rights of Afrikanders.

That I promise you, and the Afrikander will do it with his own hands.

(Loud cheers.) If I am wrong in this, there is your jail, your police and the Magistrate, and let them punish me if I am guilty."

(Voices: "They dare not touch you!").

Proceeding the General went on to refer to an article of the 'Volkstem', the Ministerial organ of Pretoria. The 'Volkstem', he said "had for long been crowing King, King, but the sun will rise when the c.o.c.k will cease to crow. (Laughter.) The Government has now issued regulations under which we may not speak, but, friends, bear in mind, and the 'Volkstem' must know, that we have not yet a Popedom, and we are not yet in Russia, for you will search in vain for the truth in a newspaper." -- (We would very much like to know the opinion hereanent of the Backveld newspaper organ in which we read of this meeting. -- Author.) -- "Friends, a newspaper can do a lot of harm, and much of the condition in which our country finds itself may be attributed to the 'Volkstem' -- that Government adulator ('de regeering se vetsmeer' doc.u.ment).

"Whereas our people could freely express their views, the Government now wants to prevent an expression of their bitter feelings over the land-robbery now engaged in at German South West."

(At this stage, an egg thrown from the back of the crowd fell uncomfortably near the speaker and aroused some angry remarks in the crowd, but the speaker continuing said: "Never mind, friends, I have another coat. The Government talk of calling out volunteers only; but many children were surrept.i.tiously torn away from their mothers, and many were taken against the will of the parents. I am ready to bow under the law, but not when it is broken by the Government.

Our law authorizes us to defend our borders, not to wage war outside."

After some more quarrels, interruptions, blows and fights in several parts of the crowd, the police arrested a Burgher.

But some men who surrounded the police rescued the prisoner and, it was said, a.s.saulted a policeman.)

Proceeding with his speech after the interruption, General De Wet said: "We can never thank the English sufficiently for their gift of self-government under a free const.i.tution approved by His Majesty the King; but it was not implied thereby that we should go and commit a theft."

More interruptions, during which it became impossible for the speaker to continue. In the turmoil cheers were given for General De Wet, who, resuming at length, remarked: "You fellows, along the wire fence, the Lord have mercy on you when I turn my back. You will be responsible if blood flows in this meeting to-night. As I have had a better up-bringing I am keeping the people back from tackling you. I have not been brought up in what they call Waaihoek at Bloemfontein. It was not General Botha's place to get this country to s.n.a.t.c.h chestnuts out of the fire for England.

They bluff us with the statement that the coolies* might be asked to come and take German South West Africa for themselves. Well, let it be so.

They will be in their proper surroundings there amongst the Hottentots.

And if it amounts to that, Kafirs armed with a.s.segais can be sent against them, for as it now happens the Kafir has got to work for the coolie in Natal."

-- * Contemptuous South African term for British Indians.

After more disturbances, the General said he was not so certain that the police were doing their duty, and he would have to report them to the Government. These men were paid out of his pocket and the pockets of other Burghers, but the people got no protection from them.

And when in self-defence an Afrikander remonstrates with the hooligans, he is arrested. He thought there was a Magistrate present, and can they not get protection?

a.s.sistant Magistrate Cronin then ascended the carriage and said: "I expect you all to give the Burghers a fair opportunity to speak."

Concluding General De Wet said: "It was not a question of Hertzog v. Botha.

The burning point was German South West Africa. The reason why the people were unarmed was because the Government did not trust them.

Things being so, they should not be surprised that the people had no confidence in the authorities. Many had guns but no cartridges; how then could the country be expected to defend itself?"

Mr. Paul Schutte moved the resolution which was put to the meeting, protesting against the expedition to German South West Africa.

"At this time," says the Dutch paper that reported these proceedings, "the throats of the interrupters, not being made of steel, had become so hoa.r.s.e and weak that their interruption was ineffective, except, perhaps, when they dealt out blows."

Mr. Paul Schutte said, in moving the resolution, that the hand of G.o.d was pressing heavily on the land: poverty, misery, and the drought finis.h.i.+ng the people. Was it not dangerous for the Government to embark on such an undertaking without the backing of the unanimous will of the people?

Mr. Serfontein (presumably one of the two members of Parliament of that name) said he was going to speak the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

He said he would give doc.u.mentary proof that a map has been forged; he did not know by whom. It is said that Nakob is in Union territory, yet according to the original Government map, that place was on German territory. "There is the map," he said, apparently flaunting it, "satisfy yourselves."

Proceeding he said: "General Tobias s.m.u.ts had declared that he knew the Government decision was against the wishes of his const.i.tuents, yet he wanted to support the Government in favour of the war.

General Beyers, who knew all the circ.u.mstances, denies that Nakob is in Union territory. In these circ.u.mstances, how can we, as Christians, ask G.o.d to guide us in the undertaking?"

Professor Postma and the Rev. Mr. De Klerk, the two next speakers, quoted the Bible to show that to proceed against German South West Africa was forbidden by Providence. Mr. Furstenburg, who followed, called on the Burghers to maintain the high character of their people.

After a few words of thanks from General Kemp to the audience for their attendance, the 1,000 Burghers, amid interruptions, signified their objection to the expedition by standing on one side.

This act closed a most exciting meeting.

One of the opponents, the paper says, smacked a Dutch lady on her mouth and caused it to bleed. She coolly turned round and gave him such a heavy blow with her fist that he collapsed, saying in the purest English accent as she did so: "It takes but one woman to fight a Britisher." Another of the interrupters had to be taken to the hospital.

Commandant Els and Mr. Rocco de Villiers, the "Free" State lawyer, on their way to the meeting, had a mishap with their motor-car, fifteen miles distant, so that they reached Potchefstroom on foot, after the meeting.

"Three cheers for our brown people," shouted one of the disturbers.

"You have forgotten the coolies," retorted a Dutch lady.

After the meeting, the opposition formed itself into a procession and marched through the town. They also delivered short speeches confirming what had been done at a previous meeting of townspeople, which supported the expedition. They booed General De Wet and his followers, and dispersed after giving cheers for Generals Botha and s.m.u.ts and singing the National Anthem.

One item on the programme of the meeting was an address which should have been presented to General Beyers, the ex-Commander-in-Chief, but as for some reason or other he was not present, the address was sent to him instead. It congratulated him on his resignation, a step which the signatories were sure he would never regret, as it was in accord with the peace-loving and the most pious part of his people, who resent the "capture" of German South West Africa.

Further, they thanked him for coming to address them and hoped he would deliver a speech that would shut the mouths of mischief-makers who accused him of being a German agent.

A similar drama was enacted at Johannesburg during the following week, when General De Wet carried his campaign of protest into the stronghold of the sections in favour of the Government expedition.

His meeting at the Lewis Cinema was only in progress a few minutes when bricks, etc., came through the fanlights, and the lights went out.

The meeting was adjourned to Church Square, where supporters of the Government gained the upper hand and overpowered the "neutral" party so completely that General De Wet, Mr. Serfontein and Rev. Mr. Postma could not be heard.

Cheers were continually given for the King, for Generals Botha and s.m.u.ts, and the speeches were drowned by the patriotic airs sung by the throng, and the meeting proved a complete fiasco.