IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

BAD FAITH.' HE desertion, by the Govern¬ment, of the vote for the Buntingville Institution, will be regarded by the public in general as a flagrant breach of faith. No one, we believe, would doubt for a moment the principle that Parlia¬ment is not obliged to vote any money for places beyond the bor¬ders of the Colony. It came, never¬theless, with questionable grace from a Government which was, at one and the same time, asking Par¬liament for votes for places beyond the Colony, like Upington, on the Northern Border, and Mount Ay¬liff, in the Xesibe territory, to de¬sert the Buntingville Educational Vote for the same reasons that they were supporting the votes above alluded to. This argument applies with equal force to the Parliament which supports Ministers in this position. The whole history of the Bun-tingville vote forms, however, a dark and ghastly chapter in the story of the transactions of the Government and the Natives. The country, impressed with the im¬portant results, both commercial and social, of educating the Natives of this Colony, early embarked on the resolution to expend some money with a view to assist those who were directly engaged in the education of the Natives. Under the wise and beneficent manage¬ment of Dr. DALE, the scheme of education originally devised by Sir JOHN HERSCHEL, and for a time administered by the late Dr. ROSE- INNES, has gradually extended, and made a marked impression on the Natives of this country. What another fifty years of it will pro¬duce, he would be bold indeed who would hazard a prediction. Five or six years ago the scheme, ignoring boundary lines, would seem to have taken root in Pondoland. Parlia¬ment assented to grants for Bun¬tingville and Emfundisweni. The fact of these grants having been annually allowed to these schools beyond the border encouraged the Rev. J. S. MORRIS, a missionary to the Pondos, to consider the subject of planting one of these wonderful agencies for disseminating light— an Industrial Institution for Pondo¬land. Knowing full well, as every missionary engaged in such work must do, how futile it would be to carry on an undertaking of this character without Government as¬sistance, Mr. MORRIS wrote to Dr. DALE ' requesting that the Institu- ' tion when opened might be allowed 'the same advantages as are en- 'joyed by Clarkebury, Umtata, ' and other similar institutions.' Dr. DALE submitted this special case to Government which then ' authorized ' the learned doctor ' to make provision in the Esti- ' mates for the usual aid whenever ' the buildings were completed.' Ou the strength of this promise Mr. MORRIS then went to the chief NQWILISO, and represented to him the great good that such an Insti-tution would be to the Pondos, and how, with the Government assist¬ance assured, there was every hope that the school would succeed. On being convinced, the chief entered heartily into the movement, and opened the subscription list with thirty head of cattle. In a short time the number reached the fine figure 1,084, with 190 more pro¬mised. The buildings, which were to cost £5,000, were raised and no hitch would seem to have maried the arrangements. Parlia¬ment, however, disallowed the promised aid in 1883. In 1884, Mr. MORRIS petitioned Parliament and succeeded in having his case carefully examined ; and £500 was granted him This year the £230 placed on the Estimates, evidently with the concurrence if the Govern¬ment has been struck off. simply because Mr. SPRIGG intimated that they were not ready to defend it on the ground that Buntingville was beyond the Colony. It matters not whether the promise to the Rev. J. S. MORRIS was made by Sir THOMAS SCANLEN'S Government or not, to the minds of the ignorant Pondos and the Natives who contributed so heavily towards a good work, the white man's Government has not kept its pledged word. This is a serious thing for the credit of our Government: for it cannot but affect the diplomatic relations of the Government and the Pondo people. Mr. DE WET, our Secretary for Native Affairs, jocularly treats the matter in the following lan¬guage ' His opinion was that if ' they took away twenty votes of ' this kind it would not disturb the 'relations between NQWILISO and ' the Colony,' but, we venture to say, he will, on second thoughts, agree with us that it would have been impossible for such a building which now stands in Pondoland as a monument of civilization, and which rose under such peculiar circumstances, to be there without attracting the attention of the Pondo nation. We feel convinced that as long as our Parliament refuses to make good the word of its Government to these ignorant but shrewd people, the magnificent pile of buildings which cannot now be made use of, will stand as a striking reminder of the Cape Government's bad faith. Those who in Parliament are such sticklers to the Constitution that they would not vote the money ccelum ruat because of the Institu¬tion being beyond the Colony, could have taken shelter under Mr. ROSE- INNES' justification that the money was actually being voted to Mr. MORRIS and to Chief NQWILISO, who so chivalrously relieved the be- leagured Mr. WELSH in 1880. We cannot but deplore the action of our Parliament in this matter. A COMMISSION WANTED. STOCK-STEALING is just now at the bottom of our troubles. If grinding and unjust Pass Laws are to be enforced, it is to prevent stock-stealing. If taxes are multiplied, the reason is that more police, and closer supervision is needed for the natives, as other¬wise stock-stealing will increase; money, therefore, is required for the police and the superintendents. If education grants are to be with¬held, it is because Natives learn to forge passes for their friends to go about stealing. To a reasonable person, while these arguments would appear ridiculous and absurd, they would show that the minds of those who utter them are in high fever, and that something should be done to arrest that fever. We observe that already the im-pression is gaining ground that it must be in the nature of the native to steal, for even those who cannot be suspected of engaging in this nefarious business, connive at see¬ing sheep and cattle brought into the kraals in which they reside. When, on a former occasion, we took occasion to refer to this sub¬ject we pointed out the difficulties which stood in the way of convict¬ing thieves under the system of jurisprudence practiced in our law courts, the onus of proof resting upon the prosecutor —often resultin g in the liberation of the thief through the manner in which the natives give their evidence, with a possibility of an action for false im¬prisonment. For such complica¬tions the Native has a wholesome fear. This may account for certain cases. It has often been pointed to us that the public opinion of the better disposed Natives has never as vet made itself felt against the evil. Those who make this complaint overlook the fact that the segregation of natives for purposes of local supervision, has to a great extent resulted prejudicially to the development of public opinion among them. The people have, in matters of this kind, been trained to look to one chief, and to consider what takes place under one magis¬trate as of no concern to those under another. Only such great questions as disarmament, cattle-branding, and Pass Acts, have had the effect of welding them together. Under these circumstances, then, it seems to us that the best course to get up Native public opinion against stealing, would be by ap¬pointing a Commission to enquire into the causes and remedies for stock-stealing ; such a commission to travel among the Natives them-selves and elicit their views. We believe that this would establish some touch between the Natives and the Government, and make them feel that some confidence is reposed in them, also, that a certain responsibility rested upon them as a people to promote the public weal. We can quite recall to our minds the interest that our people, one and all, took in the Native Laws Commission, and we have no doubt they would be as enthusiastic to give information to a Commission such as we suggest. We are not unmindful of the cost that these Commissions involve. In this case the one we recommend would collect very valuable inform¬ation and suggest remedies for a crying evil—an evil which is plaguing and paralyzing the ' back- ' bone ' of this Colony. We feel sure that the information and sug¬gestions of such a Commission would be more valuable than the money likely to be spent. We commend the subject to the Govern-ment.