The returns of the polling in South Africa on Tuesday
are incomplete, but it looks as if the courage of General Smuts and the self-sacrifice of the Unionists in merging themselves in the South African Party have been rewarded. TheLabour Party, which opposed Secession and yet was hostile to General Smuts, has suffered a heavy defeat, losing both its leaders, Mr. Creswell and Mr. Kentridge, and more than half its seats. The work- - men saw that Secession, which would mean the revival of racial quarrels and civil war, was a far more important issue than their own sectional grievances. The Government now hold 68 seats, the Nationalists 37, and the Labour Party 9. It is to be hoped that the returns from the farming districts, where the National. ists were strongest, will confirm the verdict of the larger centres of population. General Smuts asked South Africa to decide once for all between Self-government within the Empire and Secession, and the answer should be clear and indisputable.
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