The South African Flag
THE controversy over the South African flag has been an unfortunate one, for it has stirred up racial feeling and reawakened among British and Dutch old memories which statesmanship should seek to eradicate. Since the publication of the report on Inter-Imperial relations by the Imperial Conference a better atmosphere has been created. Let us hope, therefore, that the problem will be approached by both sides in a conciliatory spirit.
When we see the improvement in the relations of the white population of South Africa that has been effected since the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging we have justification for hoping that in another decade British and Dutch antagonism will be obliterated by the healing hand of time, as effectively as was the old enmity between the North and South in the United States. The flag question having been raised, however, it is impossible to ignore it. What is to be done about it ? There appear to be three choices ; one, to let sleeping dogs lie ; two, to attempt to reach agreement, recognizing the British and Dutch points of view, and to design a flag including the Union Jack and the old Transvaal Vierkleur ; three, to adopt a new flag which will satisfy both elements in the white population—no easy task.
Most Englishmen would naturally prefer that the Union Jack should be retained by South Africa, and that it should appear in the corner of the national flag as it does in the Canadian, Australian and New Zealand flags, but apparently there are strong objections on the part of some of the Dutch to this course. If the Dutch element refuses to give way, might not a compromise be reached ? The Imperial Conference has once again defined the constitutional status of a Dominion within the British Commonwealth, and has emphasized the special position occupied by the Crown. Leaving the Union Jack for the moment out of the discussion, why should not South Africa's new flag contain the Royal Standard in one corner, symbolizing the common allegi- ance of every British subject to the King, imposed on an essentially South African background to be devised ? Now that the Dominions in the British Commonwealth " are autonomous communities in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs," would it not be suitable that their allegiance to the King should appear on their national emblems- ? We believe that General Hertzog and the other Nationalist leaders would accept such a compromise ; certainly it is entirely in accord with their utterances since the Confer. ence. This would not imply that the Union Jack should not be flown in South Africa by those who desire to fly it—to attempt to abolish it would only foment trouble among South Africans of English speech—but it would mean that South Africa's official national emblem in future would be the South African flag, on which would appear the Royal Standard, the symbol of the allegi. ante of the British Commonwealth as a whole to the Crown.
Unless some such compromise is arrived at, it may well be that a purely South African flag will be adopted by the Dutch-speaking South Africans, and then in the course of time other Dominions might follow suit. If the two races in South Africa could now reach agreement upon a flag on which an emblem appeared representing South Africa's Imperial connexion, it would set a precedent which could be adopted by any other Dominion desiring a national flag apart from the Union Jack. At the present time the Irish Free State has a flag on which there is no reference to Ireland's membership in the British Commonwealth. Miracles have happened before, so may we not hope that in the course of time the Royal Standard will one day appear on the Irish flag ? Anyhow, before South Africans who care for the well-being of the British Commonwealth take up the attitude of " the Union Jack or nothing," they should examine every possible alternative.
The unknown factor is General Hertzog's intentions ; but, surely, after his positive declarations of loyalty to the British Commonwealth and to the Crown he would have no objection to the inclusion of the Royal Standard in the South African flag.
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