IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

Editorial Notes. IN his tour through the Border, Mr De Wet does not appear to be winning golden opinions. On the 21st November he had a meeting with the Herschel Natives, who represented their grievances, which were that Government should have com passion upon them in the matter of the collection of taxes as they were so hard up this year. Demands are already harassing the natives who do not know what to do, as stock is unsalable. They asked Government assistance in the distress they were in. Of course the Secretary could not do anything for them, and much grumbling is the consequence. At Glen Grey again Mr. De Wet signally failed to conciliate the people to his policy. His rough and off-handed manner of discussing questions with Natives is, we fear, pointing him out as a square man in a round hole in matters of Native administration. WE congratulate Mr. Harry Mtombeni on his admission to practice as a Law Agent in Seymour, and wish him all success. Mr. Mtombeni is the aspirant to forensic pursuits, whose non-admission at Queen's Town caused so much noise a few months ago. The Aborigines' Protection Society was, we observe from the November journal of that useful body, already interesting itself in his case, but,' of course, the present step is entirely unconnected with this benevolent move. IT is gratifying to observe that a strong tide of opinion is setting in among our European friends, and recent utterances indicate it, that Natives are not the un- mixed evil that people were disposed to say they were a few years ago. All that is necessary is that they should be Christianized. Writing on this subject to the Right Rev. Dr. Jones, Mr. Merriman observes: 'On the whole, there can be, I think, no doubt in any reasonable mind, speaking purely from a worldly point of view, that mission work has a salutary effect on the native races. It has given them new wants and new aspirations, and has, by doing so, induced increased habits of industry, for we must not judge some mission converts by their somewhat easy- going existence without reflecting how far less work would be done were it otherwise, and we must not be surprised if the demands on their rudimentary civilization to satisfy Christian teaching have not indeed turned every convert into a St. Paul. Christian teaching has exercised a general humanizing effect on the whole mass of natives exposed to its influence.' ON the same subject, Mr. J. G. Hellier, speaking at the indignation meeting recently held at Dordrecht to protest against the removal of the Glen Grey Natives against their will, said : ' This proposed removal of the Natives from the Tambookie Location seemed to him to be only one more link in the chain of Native policy which had been initiated some twelve years ago, and was a continuation of that vigorous Native policy which had been so disastrous in its effects. Before the inauguration of this policy we had a large and thriving Native trade, which has, sad to say, been wholly destroyed. The ruin and decline of Queen's Town were attributable to the removal and unjust treatment of the Natives thereabouts, and to the wars which deprived these people of their livestock. It was no secret that the best and most remunerative business done by King William's Town bouses was that with the Natives residing beyond the Kei. The Native population was a mine of wealth to us: they were an army of consumers and producers. We had simply killed our very best customers by our tinkering, harassing treatment of them, and if this treatment were to be persisted in, Native trade would be a thing of the past. He spoke from experience in these matters.' THE Natives of Cradock have held a meeting to pass resolutions urging on Government to abrogate the Proclamation that has introduced the liquor traffic in the Transkei. We are glad to see that the country has not ceased to protest against this nefarious step. King William's Town is going to hold her meeting tonight, and as the seat of an important trade with the Natives we trust it will emit no uncertain sound in condemning the Ministerial policy. We are pleased to note in his letter to Bishop Jones that a politician of Mr. Merriman's standing in this country sees great mischief in this measure. He says: — 'I may, perhaps, be allowed to express a hope that your Lordship will take the opportunity afforded by the meeting to raise a voice of protest and entreaty against the introduction of the liquor traffic into the Transkei. It is no exaggeration to say that such a step, even in its most modified form, means in the words of the poet. Red ruin, and the breaking up of laws, and it is the duty of everyone to speak out, and to raise the strongest possible warning against a step which is in direct contravention of the policy adopted by the Liquor Law of 18S3, which legalized the proclamation of area within the colony proper, within which the drink should be sold to natives, clearly showing thereby the drift of opinion in the Legislature on this subject. It is an open question, whether by the introduction of intoxicating liquor we shall succeed in the extermination of the natives, or whether the strong vitality of the African will resist the poison as well as the Europeans have done; but it is absolutely certain that the process of inoculation into this special form of vice means misery and trouble to all of us for more than one generation, and a great increase of expense to the colony. This is the lowest possible view to take. I feel sure that your Lordship will make a much stronger protest, on far higher grounds.' MR. FROST positively assures Mr. Sprigg that he has not made use of compulsion. To enable our readers to test his credibility we translate what appeared in our last issue from the pen of a Tembu on the spot. He says: 'As a Tembu I may say that at the first meeting he had with us at Lady Frere we could not take exception to the manner in which Mr. Frost laid the matter before us. Since his manner of proceeding has not followed his words, for when Mcwakumba, a headman, declared himself as against moving, as he was tired of the constant shifting, Mr. Frost suddenly pounced upon him and said, 'You shall no more be a headman.' I ask whether that is not coercion? Moreover there is compulsion in another form for Mr. Frost address- ing another headman, Cotiyana, who is now gone, said, ' So far as concerns you, Cotiyana, the Magistrate tells me you had been dismissed from the headman- ship because you took money from squatters on Government land, but if you can induce sixty men to go with you and promise not to repeat the offence I would give you a pass and you would be a headman at Qumbu.' ' The writer concludes by saying: 'The fact is that the people have ceased to believe in anything. They argue that if they do not go their stock will be confiscated, otherwise why are we pursued into our homes even after expressing our unwillingness to go at a public meeting?'