Show Is the Vast British Empire Breaking Up By WI WILLIAM LLIAM C. C UTLEY ING G GEORGE Vs V's silver jubilee Jubilee jubilee Ju ju- K KING bilee now nt at Its Us height in England has formed an Innocent innocent In in- If It world wide Institution for propagandizing the unity and extent of ot the British Empire No one certainly questions Its Us ex ex- tent nut Cut there are those amon among the political economists of 01 the day who at nt least suggest that the Ole far far- flung realm shows signs of breakIng break break- in Ing Ine apart and when the real test comes If It ever docs does they mn may be right Recent developments de In South Africa have again made people ask whether the British Empire Is breaking brer up writes Fred IFred Clarke English educator and former representative representative representative rep rep- of or orthe the Union of South Africa at nt Geneva In Current History History His Lils- tory Magazine Without attemptIng attempt attempt- Ing lag to answer that question one can have no doubt as ns to the Importance Importance importance tance of the status of ot the Union act net which received royal assent on June 22 w 1034 This TIlls new law has a bearIng bearIng bearIng bear- bear Ing on the whole future of British Imperial unity The status net act contains the first definite official reference of ot the crown to the union as a sovereign Independent state Its accompanying accompany accompany- ing seal act gives the exclusive e right of use of the Great Seal and Little Seal heretofore held b by the king to the South African minIsters ministers min min- For more than a quarter of ot a century century century cen cen- tury South Africa politically has been torn bitterly between two political political political po po- po- po factions as ns directly opposed as our New D Dealers alers and rugged In In- They were led by General Smuts right-hand right man of General Botha In the Union government government government govern govern- ment which arose a n few years ears after the South African war and General General Gen Gen- Geni i eral oral Hertzog a minister In the theBo Bo Botha ha cabinet who was removed In 1912 two years after the cabinet net was formed General Smuts and his faction openly considered the Union a definite definite nite p part rt of the empire with British BritIsh British Brit Brit- ish civilization and culture dom dome Hertzog sympathizers held out against the complete social cultural and political domination of the Boer population by the British and have always striven to make the Union a separate and Independent I ent nation The present status of the Union has hns been effected as ns a sort of political political po po- po- po compromise between the two generals and their respective par par- ties The Union Is undeniably Independent Independent In In- dependent now with merely allegiance allegiance allegiance al al to the crown the string politically tying It to Great Britain And the two parties have lla fused Into one They Get Together General Hertzog's nationalist party party party par par- ty which was In power In 1931 preferred preferred preferred pre pre- to l keep South Africa on the gold standard believing that England Eng Eug land had stepped of oft off only tempo tempo- and that maintaining the standard would help to stabilize a leading Industry of South Africa gold mining Other Interests suffered suffered suffered suf suf- badly and General Smuts' Smuts South African party accused the Incumbents of ot pampering the politIcal political ical Interests always prone to take the opposite line from the empire Jeopardizing the Interests of ot the Union In general thereby It was conceded that If It General General- Smuts could force an nn election at that time he would have more than an even chance of winning but that he hc could not d do so without stirring 4 t. t r Vry Sv Tw b 1 Y tY i k 4 Yn r vy General Smuts up the smoldering embers of racial conflict between Boers or rather the present-day present and Britons an animosity that had been admirably subdued In the prece preceding preceding pre pre- ce ceding decades by wise go government go eminent To 10 youth of ot South Africa really goes the Ole credit for coalition Young men of oC both parties know the sentimental sentimental sentimental senti senti- mental and romantic racial dissensions dissensions dissensions dissen dissen- merely as historical traditions not as real loyalties and convictions It was they whose Insistence that these differences be wiped out once and for tor all Impressed the nation with the necessity for tor taking up the real business at hand that hand that of ot administering good government As Asa a n result of ot the coalition the status act act satisfactory In the main to both parties was effected Boers In Opposition The Boer In South Africa has hns long opposed the out and political political po po- dominance of ot the Union by London as proposed by the Briton I for tor fear tear of ot losing his Identity South Africa Is a region of ot two separate separate sep sep- arate crate and powerful cultures and Its people speak two languages There Is s of or course the English with which we are more or less fa- fa a- a B Ci K 2 o tb LY i t i 1 Q Nj 1 D I t tt y t D I I 4 Z l i r J v 5 y y P o P Q ti 4 5 B n ow pAT t J STAGE g oP D 00 0 AE AEl Ce P l 1 o roe too coo coo tto tee oe a. a ut millar And there Is the Dutch offspring offspring offspring off off- spring Afrikaans The New Deal for South Africa pacifies both factions by fostering both cultures Education is administered admin admin- administered in both Newspapers and magazines are published In both languages Poetry novels and technical technical tech tech- works have ha appeared In Afrikaans Afrikaans Af At- and now there Is even a carefully funS made translation of the Bible In that language That the the status act with Its Us admission admission admission ad ad- mission of South Africa's virtually absolute Independence applies as aswell aswell well Fell to all of the British DominIons Dominions Domin Domin- Dominions ions Is Implied In n the fact that It Includes In do Its Us preamble the Balfour Balfour Bal Bal- four declaration obtained by General Gen Gen- eral oral Hertzog when he headed the Nationalist government In 1 1924 24 This calls the Dominions autonomous autonomous autonomous communities within the BritIsh British British Brit Brit- ish Empire equal In status In no noway noway way subordinate to one another In nn any respect of their domestic or external external ex ex- ex- ex affairs though united by a common allegiance to the crown and freely associated as ns members of the British Commonwealth of Nations Further removing British political politIcal political ical dominance from the Dominions DominIons Dominions Domin Domin- ions was the Statute of Westminster Westminster ster which was passed by the BrItIsh British British Brit BrIt- ish parliament In 1931 It closely allied the constitutional development develop elop ment meat of the other Dominions of the Empire with that of the Union of ot South Africa The Balfour declaration declaration declaration declara declara- tion and the Statute of Westminster are masterpieces of phra phraseology which carried soothing balm to both South African factions The Status net act Is the application of them to the South African constitution Two Important concessions are made to the Dominions In the Statute of Westminster It gives gi the Dominion government power to amend repeal or modify an any British act which has been Incorporated incorporated In the law of the Dominion Domin Domin- ion It further states that no BrItIsh British British Brit BrIt- ish law may be applied to any DominIon Dominion Dominion Do Do- minion unless that Dominion has requested the application and consented consented consented con con- to It Really Independent The status act Itself declares that no British legislation shall be considered considered con- con In effect In the Union of South Africa until It Is re enacted reenacted b by the South African parliament The chief executive Is defined as th the king who shall shaH act upon the advice of ot his South African min min- min That there be no mistake the thc king Is defined as the one determined determined de de- by the laws of succession of the United Kingdom In Ia South Africa the kings king's representative representative Is the governor N Neither he nor the king have any powers of veto or reservation of a n bill The governor general may however simply return a bill with his opinion for further urther consideration tion If It he thinks it wise The king does not retain the power to name the prime minister and to dissolve parliament t. t The case of war would be the thereal thereal thereal real test For with the clearly worded status act the Union Unon of South Africa can now d decide clde for It Itself Itself It- It self whether or not to remain neutral neutral neutral neu neu- If It the empire enters eaters a n war Says Clarke It might even secede altogether though not apparently by legal process Some commentators In England England Eng Eng- land as ns well as DS In n South Africa feel disturbed by these possibilities But equal status status' necessarily Implies them and legal barriers would be flimsy defenses against the stron strong political pressure when the time of crisis comes It will be remembered that when England entered the tho World war there was widespread dissension In South Africa and even een serious uprisings In some cases Clarke goes goeson on Neutrality and secession are political politIcal political po po- Issues to be determined In Inthe Inthe inthe the light of or all the facts when the question arises They are not to be determined In advance as some of or orthe the hard die-hard lawyers seemed to d demand de dc mand mind by any constitutional legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion especially legislation under such documents as the tha Balfour declaration dec dec- and the Statute of West West- minster The Ties That Bind The abolition of the prerogative power of or the king aroused the anguish anguish anguish an an- of ot the pro British faction In South Africa This faction claimed that In the time of crisis the king was the executive head hend of ot the thc British British Brit Brit- ish Empire and that he could act as ns he saw fit In case of or a crisis In order to keep the realm from falling fall fail failIng falling ing apart General Smuts was wag able ablo to convince his followers that for tor centuries no such prerogative if there was one had been exercised and that the question was as not one of ot law but of ot politics Of course what the economists who cite the status act as evidence that the British Empire Is disintegratIng disintegrating disintegrating rating fall to show Is that political power or legal power are arc not the thereal thereal real bands which hold the Empire together Experience has taught us that In time of war nations do not act on the literal Interpretation of the law The ties that bind are more substantial In the case of ot the British Imperial Dominions they are arc the advantages of free trade within the Empire and the protection protection protection tion of the British fleet The Union of ot South Africa would be an easy mark Indeed for a an Invading force were It not for the protection of or orthe the greatest fleet In the world It ItIs ItIs Itis Is extremely doubtful that the Union would ever want to forsake such n a protection With Its Us constitutional status now more clearly defined define 1 than ever before before before be be- fore the Union of South Africa Is ready Itself to begin expanding It would like to annex the adjacent protectorates of or Swaziland and which I IT Ia a T General Hertzog are V DO now governed under the Dominions Dominions Dominions Do Do- minions office In n London When the tho Union was formed In 1909 1900 the constitution constitution constitution con con- provided for the eventual Inclusion of ot these territories Their population however howe Is D 99 per cent black and they were were left out of ot the original Union and kept under direct London protection because because be be- cause of ot the treatment they ha had 1 received received re re- re In previous years ears at the tho hands lands of the Boers Boers When last year Prime Minister Hertzog announced to Great Brit Britain ala ain that the Union of South Africa was ready to act net Immediately to Include Include In In- clude dude the protectorates his act oct drew drewan an nn Instant appeal from Chief kedl Khama of BritIsh British British Brit Brit- ish administration of ot the protectorates protectorates protectorates has not been all nIl that it might be but natives and native sympathizers believe that It Is better better better bet bet- ter than the discrimination which might harm them at the hands of ot the tho Boers Native Chiefs Balk Unionists claim that there are no no o selfish reasons for tor annexation for forthe forthe forthe the Union has bas plenty of ot land and plenty of economic difficulty without taking on that of the native areas Is ts tremendously overcrowded overcrowded over over- crowded and conditions among the blacks are deplorable The Union would move the surplus population over to the vast expanses of I where the population population population tion Is scarce and would give ghe the blacks s land and Irrigate It The natives and their chIefs are afraid of ot this The reason Is that the Company Ltd owns about acres In land They fear that the blacks blacks- might be exploited In Industrially here bere that the grazing land which has been held heM out to them as a ahome ahome ahome I home land for or the surplus Union blacks might be seized by the surplus surplus sur sur- plus whites of ot the Union sur-I sur With the constitutional differences differ durer straightened out between black and white In the Union and I with the rising of ot a new generation which does not feel reel so BO bitterly the 1 I Inequality of ot the whites and the blacks It Is held that the government government govern- govern I ment meat under Smuts and Hertzog means well by the natives I Ie ft e N NanDer w T j r |