them of their civil rights, and by so doing (in fact, this is the
main commendation of the measure to the "loyals") to deprive
their friends and kinsfolk, who have rendered the Colony yeoman
service at the most critical time, of that legitimate influence
which belongs to a majority. We are asked, in fact, to create a
class of political 'helots' in South Africa, where we are now
waging a bloody and costly war ostensibly for the purpose of
putting an end to a similar state of affairs."

Of course, all this and much more might have been read at any time
since the war began in the columns of _The South African News_, but in
a minister's memorandum to the Prime Minister, and over the signature
"John X. Merriman," its naked hostility arrests the mind. Dr. Te
Water's memorandum, although much shorter than that of Mr. Merriman,
is even more outspoken. To him, the direct representative of the
republican nationalists in the Afrikander Cabinet, amnesty for the
rebels is the "sound and proper policy." And naturally, since in his
eyes the rebels themselves are--

"British subjects of Dutch extraction who, after vainly
endeavouring, by all possible constitutional means, to prevent
what they, in common with the rest of the civilised world,
believe to be an unjust and infamous war against their near
kinsmen, aided the Republics in the terrible struggle forced upon
them."[225]

[Footnote 225: Cd. 264.]

[Sidenote: A progressive ministry.]

This is vitriol-throwing, but it is none the less significant. These
three men formed half of the six ministers to whom collectively, Lord
Milner, as Governor of the Cape Colony, had to look for advice during
the two critical years that the Afrikander party was in power.
Fortunately, in his capacity of High Commissioner for South Africa, he
was free to act without their advice, as the representative of the
Queen. Even so, his achievement is little less than marvellous. Aided
by Mr. Schreiner's pathetic sense of loyalty to the person of the
sovereign, he had kept the Cape Government outwardly true to its
allegiance. The long hours of patient remonstrance, the word-battles
from which the Prime Minister had risen sometimes white with
passionate resentment, had not been useless. By tact, by serenity of
disposition, by depth of conviction, and latterly by sheer force of
argument, Lord Milner had won Mr. Schreiner, not indeed