and assumed the right to grant or refuse “permission” to persons to land on our shores who had as much title to be here as they had; they even proposed a Danegeld policy, to carry out which the public funds would be requisitioned. All this time Government looked on, made no preparations for the protection of the passengers, and contented themselves with a perfunctory protest. We are not now arguing whether the Committee were justified in their course. They thought they were, but that does not annul the fact that they virtually and quite illegally superseded the Government. A long series of negotiations ensues, during which the public is kept in a constant ferment of excitement, until at last the bugle sounds and all Durban rushes to the Point, prepared to do or die. Then, quite casually of course, at the psychological moment, the Attorney-General “bobs up serenely”, tells the people to be good boys and he will do all that is necessary—”fix your eyes upon your Escombe and he will pull you through”—the Committee declare, they had the least idea of doing anything in opposition to the Government, and are quite willing to leave it in the hands of the Government—cheers for the Queen— blessings all round—everybody goes home happy—Demonstration melts away as quickly as it gathered—while the now forgotten Indians quietly come ashore, just as if there had never been any demonstration at all. Who can resist the suspicion that it was a prearranged and foregone conclusion? It has been asserted by the Captain of the Courland that the Committee led him to believe that they were acting on behalf of the Government; and it has also been stated that Government knew and approved of what the Committee were doing. These statements, if correct, imply a serious imputation of the bona fides either of the Committee or the Government. If the Committee had the sanction of the Government, the latter were playing a double game by countenancing in private proceedings which were disapproved in their published reply. If not, the charge of duplicity must be shifted to the shoulders of the Committee. We should be loth to believe these statements, because it is not by such methods that a great cause is conducted to a successful issue.—The Natal Advertiser, 14th January 1897.
- The letter we published yesterday, from the Demonstration Committee to the Captain of the Courland, does not sustain the charge previously made, that the Committee falsely represented themselves as acting on behalf of the Government, although, from its tone, and the reference to the Attorney-General, the Captain may be excused for coming to that conclusion. But it does afford ground for the alternative suspicion that, despite their published warnings against illegal action, the Government were practically in collusion with the Committee. According to this document, the Attorney-General, who had previously admitted that there was no legal means of keeping the Indians out of the Colony, went so
