IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1885. STARVATION RAMPANT. THE wire informs us that in the course of a debate in Parliament Mr. SPRIGG denied that Natives were absolutely destitute, and their relief rested with Municipal Councils. Ministers are, of course, supposed to speak on some authority, and for this reason the statement is perplexing. The inevitable condensation of the remarks of the Treasurer-General within the limits of a telegraphic message may have the effect of misrepresenting what he actually did say; for we think that he would be ignorant indeed who would deny the existence of starvation among the Natives. One has only to visit such localities as Fort Peddie, Tamara, and Middle Drift, to say nothing of those we have not personally visited, to witness the alarming straits to which Natives have been reduced. Up to a very recent period the great mass of our people have been depending upon one crop annually. Given good seasons and few wants they have passed the fleeting moments of life without murmuring— that is if we dismiss the thousand and one political annoyances from our purview. Since, the times have not been favourable. Ruinous droughts have become the order of the day. Natives are therefore going through the bitter experience of people who have to depend upon one crop in the year, on the failure of which they are sure to starve, Depopulation follows, and the whole balance of social life is affected. For over six years the bulk of the Natives have not gathered in a full crop. That some of them have been improvident is painfully true. Besides it must be remembered that at present the social relations of these people are such that even the most provident may be hurried on to his last by the numerous friends who throng around him in these hard times. And in a short time there may be nothing on which to support life. Indeed, the drought that has prevailed during the last three years has reduced the people to the last extremity. After the recent rains the last Native would have sown wheat but for the dearth of means in the case of many wherewith to purchase seed, and many acres are now not sown simply because the people have no seed It is a pitiful sight to see some of the Natives driven to the resort of merely cutting the soil open so as to sow handfuls of grain as they chance to secure a sixpence or a shilling in the street. Positively the people are starving. And yet Mr. SPRIGG is in a position to deny this! We trust that no one will be misled by this asseveration. If this famine is to be allowed to sweep away whole kraals of Natives without any efforts to relieve it, we can easily comprehend people disposing of stern facts by adopting the ostrich policy of planting the head in the sand in the face of difficulties that Mr. SPRIGG has resorted to. As Natives, we cannot blame those who, seeing our people in dire circumstances, are disposed to quarrel with all proposals to give them assistance on the ground that this is the opportune time to burn in them the sound lesson of hard, honest work and thrift. It is the nature of the human heart before it is softened by good moral influences to take advantage of such occasions to wreak vengeance. We do not believe that those whose training and instincts are English will be ready to adopt this attitude. If means of relief are to be adopted this is the time to organize them, and as relief is doled out the lessons to be drawn from laziness and improvidence may be very well inculcated on the recipients of aid If seed is distributed people would be able to raise a good crop Government may well lend people some such assistance on condition that they return what they have been given when they shall have reaped their crops. It is no wonder that the mind refuses to dwell upon the condition of our people in the immediate future if no relief is forthcoming. With the statement that the relief of the people lies with Municipal Councils we are not in a position to deal, as we are at a loss to understand how this is possible. It is impossible but to view the proposition as a device to shuffle the responsibilities of the State on other, and in this case, incompetent shoulders. Since the above was in type the Cape Town papers have brought us the full reports of the debate. From them we are pleased to find that Mr. SPRIGG has, as we feared, been misrepresented by REUTER'S telegram. His speech was exactly what such a speech, from such a statesman, in such a position, and on such an occasion should be. In justice to Mr. SPRIGG we take over his speech as given in the Cape Argus: Mr. Sprigg said he believed the honour, able mover's desire was to get an expression of opinion, and he trusted that he would take the advice which had been tendered to him from all sides, and withdraw the resolu- tion. It would be bad policy to encourage the idea in the Native mind that more land would be placed at their disposal. They should be given to understand, once for all if they increase and require more land, they must buy it in the ordinary way. The cause of this distress was attributed to the Loca- tions A t, and that might be to a certain extent correct; but the proper remedy for that was in the hands of the Divisional Councils, who had the right to recommend the establishment of locations on private property. He assumed that the people in these districts did not deem it desirable to have the Natives on private property, and therefore did not make such applications. He admitted that there was great destitution among the Natives on the frontier, but he would be sorry for it to go forth to the world that the Natives generally were in an extreme state of destitution, because it would be a reflection on the House and the country that no means of relief were provided. Reports from Civil Commissioners in various districts were to the effect that there would probably be great distress before the next harvest, and they had been instructed to keep the Government advised on the subject. If the Government found that it would be necessary to give some of them seed corn as was done for some farmers in the north- western districts—it would undertake the responsibility. At the same time he thought there should be some labour test. No one could charge the Governmeut with a desire to deal harshly with the Natives ; its policy had always been to treat them fairly, to raise them, and make them becter citizens. When rebellion had broken out, it had deemed it its duty to deal resolutely with the offenders, and uphold the authority of the Crown. He hoped the honourable member would not press his resolution, as it might lead to a hostile vote.