Last Saturday a banquet was given to the new Transvaal
Ministry at Johannesburg. Sir George Farrar and other members of the Opposition were present, and it is impossible to draw anything but good auguries from the spirit of the entertainment and the speeches. General Botha's words were memorable. "Now that we live under one flag and are subjects of one Empire, let our quarrels cease, let us forget our differences, let us meet personally and assist each other to adjust our difficulties. When attending the Colonial Con- ference in London I should like to he able to say that Briton and Boer are alike loyal to the British flag. We trust Britain, and we want Britain to trust us. Give us latitude to regulate our own affairs as we think best." On Tuesday at Boksburg, Mr. Smuts, Colonial Secretary, spoke in the same generous tone. Education, he declared, was the best means of obliterating racialism. The Ministry intended to build on the foundations of education already laid. They did not want the Boers to stand aside and say : "We will have nothing to do with it," or the English to stand aside and say : "They are running things on Boer lines again." We are very glad to see that Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who was in doubt longer than General Botha about coming to the Colonial Conference, has at last decided to accept the invitation. The Leader of the Opposition in Canada, Mr. Borden, generously and patriotically promised to facilitate business to the best of his power so that no obstacle might stand in Sir Wilfrid Laurier's way.
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