25 NOVEMBER 1899, Page 3

Mr. Bryce in another part of his speech very properly

dwelt upon the strain placed upon the loyalty of the Cape Dutch. He asked that they should be made to understand that there would be no attempt to curtail their constitutional liberties. But of course there will be no such attempt. No responsible person, as far as we know, has ever hinted such a thing. As long as the Cape Dutch will give us a decent excuse for turning the blind eye, and will refrain from shooting their British fellow-Colonists or our soldiers, their constitutional liberties are as secure as those of Canada,—we do not know where to find a better description of security. As to the future, Mr. Bryce seemed to hint that in the Free State at least we ought to retain the old Constitu- tion. As long as the Free State is within the Empire, and every inhabitant is a citizen of the British Empire exactly in the same way as are the inhabitants of Natal, the exact form of self-government is a matter for free discussion. It is a matter, however, in which the voice of Natal ought to carry great weight. Natal has felt the terrible weight of a Free State invasion and must not be again exposed to such a misfortune. Coat what it may in lives and money, she must be given the fullest security as a reward for her unflinching loyalty to the Empire.