‘Well, it has never been defined. It is merely a leaven permeating the thoughts, words and deeds of the party. It is a strong patriotic feeling in the breast of every true and thoughtful Afrikander, a desire to build up a strong and united South African nation and a strong and united South Africa.’
‘And how do you propose to bring this desirable union to fruition?’
‘As far as I have been able to think it out, it can only come to pass in two ways.’
‘And those two ways are?’
‘Either to fight for it, or to get it peacefully. If we can get it peacefully, it would do England more good than harm. England must have seen that the universal desire of all South Africans of any merit, English or Dutch, are tending towards Republicanism. It is true that there has been a great deal of friction between English and Dutch in the past, but the events of this year have brought over nearly all of the English South African born people of the colonies to the same view that has all along been held by the Dutch, viz., that the Imperial factor serves only to keep this friction alive, and that when South Africa is entirely free that this, race hatred will die out, and that, instead of having, as at present, an Imperial and a Republican party, we shall only have the more desirable Liberal and Conservative parties, both parties possessing Englishmen as well as Dutchmen amongst their members. As I have said, South African Englishmen have recognised this fact, and all thoughtful South African Englishmen are beginning to desire a Republican South Africa as much as the Dutch. Now, if England is wise enough to recognise this fact, and wise enough to act upon it in time, she has only one thing to do, viz., to call a meeting, or congress, of leading politicians from all the states and colonies of South Africa. And this is what she should propose:—
‘If I give up the whole of South Africa to you, to form an entirely independent South Africa, will you,
‘Firstly, give me the same commercial benefits I now enjoy?
‘Secondly.—Will you give my ships, commercial as well as ships of war, the same shelter and protection as well as the same coaling facilities in times of peace or war as now enjoyed by them?
‘Thirdly.—Will you enter in solemn treaty to be England’s friends in both peace and war?
‘Fourthly.—Will you guarantee that you shall never allow yourself to be annexed by any other power?