John Xavier Merriman (ca 1892)

John X. Merriman, seun van aartsdeken Merriman, was een van die mees briljante politici van die Kaap. Sy politiese loopbaan strek oor meeste van die belangrike politieke gebeure van die laat 19de en vroeë 20ste eeu en bereik ‘n hoogtepunt toe hy dien as eerste minister net voor Uniewording in 1910. Merriman was aanvanklik ‘n liberaal en werk nou saam met Rhodes toe laasgenoemde premier word, maar word daarna pro-Boer.

The Selections From The Correspondence of J. X. Merriman is in vier volumes gepubliseer:

VRS I-41   dek 1870-90. Dit handel oor Merriman se vroeë lewe aan die oostelike grens van die Kaap en die eerste jare van verantwoordelike regering vanaf 1872. Ekonomies dek hierdie tydperk ook die ontdekking van diamante en goud, bekend as die minerale revolusie.

VRS I-44   dek 1890-98. Dit sluit sy tyd as Tesourier-Generaal van Rhodes se kabinet in, sy uitval met Rhodes, asook die tydperk voor die Suid-Afrikaanse oorlog.

VRS I-47   dek 1899-1905. Dit sluit in die Suid-Afrikaanse oorlog, Merriman se tyd in die pro-Boer Schreiner se kabinet asook die tyd wat hy as opposisie dien. Gedurende hierdie tyd het hy geveg teen die opskorting van die Kaapse grondwet en vir ‘n billike ooreenkoms vir Kaapse rebelle. Dit word afgesluit met sy deelname aan die South African Native Affairs Commission en die verkiesing wat dr. Jameson aan bewind gebring het as premier.

VRS I-50   dek 1906-1924. Dit handel oor die totstandkoming van die Unie, sy siening oor grondwetgewing en sy tyd as premier van die Kaapkolonie. Merriman het ná die Unie in die parlement gebly en deelgeneem aan geleenthede voor en net na die Eerste Wêreldoorlog.

‘n Kort opsomming van die persoonlike lewe en politiese loopbaan van John X. Merriman verskyn op die bladsy, Selections from the Correspondence of J.X. Merriman Volume I, 1870-1890, op hierdie webtuiste.

“Merriman Blinded by Ministerial Zeal”. Skets uit The Cape Register. 15 April 1893

Hierdie volume begin in Julie 1890, toe Merriman aangestel is as tesourier in die eerste Rhodes-kabinet, en eindig op Nuwejaarsdag 1899 met ‘n brief aan President Steyn waarin hy die Schreiner-kabinet se vredesbeleid uiteensit. Hierdie relatiewe kort tydperk is breedvoerig gedokumenteer. Hoe harder Merriman gewerk het, en hoe moeiliker die tye was, hoe groter was sy dryfkrag om briewe te skryf. Sy korrespondente se skryf vernuf was dikwels van ooreenstemmende kaliber en hy het hul briewe bewaar.

Merriman se plaas Schoongezigt buite Stellenbosch

Merriman se parlementêre loopbaan was langer as 50 jaar – een van die langste in Kaapse geskiedenis. Hy het ‘n reputasie ontwikkel as elegante spreker, vir slim sê-goed en ‘n skerp verstand. Hy was egter ook bekend vir sy wisselvallige onbestendigheid met dramatiese veranderinge in sy sienings. Merriman se blywendste bydrae tot kennis is deur die Merriman Papers,  ʼn newe-produk van drie van sy kenmerke: hy was lief vir skryf, hy het ‘n verskeidenheid en warmte van sy vriendskappe, asook die belangrikste eienskap van die beste briefskrywers – hy kon sy ervarings en gedagtes, inteendeel, byna sy stem, met meelewing vasvang, sonder hindernisse of vervaging.

                  WP Schreiner                                                                         Cecil John Rhodes

‘n Verskeidenheid briewe en korter uittreksels skets ‘n prentjie van die Kaapse regering. Bykomende temas is die opkoms van Rhodes, die verskuiwings en veranderinge in Britse beleid asook sosiale en ekonomiese probleme wat, uit Merriman se oogpunt, die belangrikste uitdagings tot staatskepping was.

Politiese bespreking wissel van satiriese kommentaar oor Kaapse burgers en beleide tot sinoptiese historiese evaluerings (soos die briljante analise van die gevolge van die Jameson-aanval). Sy styl is kragtig en informeel met kenmerkende humoristiese punte. Die krag en intensiteit daarvan spruit uit Merriman se absolute toewyding en die oortuiging dat politiek sy roeping was. Sy politieke en persoonlike lewe is verstrengel – sy huislike lewe, sy belangstelling in literatuur en geskiedenis, sy talle vriendskappe, en sy pogings as vrugtekweker en wynboer op Schoongezicht is deel van die totale ervaring wat sy briewe geïnspireer het. Vir die rede word verskeie dagboekinskrywings oor sy leesstof en artikel konsepte vir joernale ingesluit, tesame met meer persoonlike briewe.

UITTREKSEL UIT DIE TEKS

J.X. Merriman. A critical account of the Jameson Raid. [lncomplete.]

Cape Town, January 8, 1896.

The past week has been one of the greatest excitement, and one involving the most momentous issues ever raised in South Africa. For some time past the state of affairs in the great mining centre of Johannesburg has been one of great tension and uncertainty. On the one hand the population has been growing by leaps and bounds, and the increase of European immigrants in particular has been on a scale hitherto quite unknown in South Africa. The weekly arrivals in the Cape ports have for somemonths past averaged between 500 and 1,000 souls, for the most part of English descent and all bound for the Gold Fields, where they seemed to obtain ready employment at high rates of wages.

On the other hand the Boer oligarchy, genuinely alarmed for its dominance, obstinately refused any representation even in municipal government to the newcomers; taxed the necessaries of life at very high rates, and in minor matters such as education, insisted rigidly on the exclusive use of the Dutch language, which practically put the schools out of reach of the newcomers. It is doubtful, however, whether these grievances in themselves would have brought matters to a head.

The newcomers, who were mostly of the artisan or miner class attracted by high wages, did not greatly concern themselves with political rights, and the majority had no families to educate; nor can it be fairly said that the imposts, though high and vexatious, were in themserves , uncommon in colonial communities. Things might have rubbed along with some grumblings, until President Kruger put forth his hand and touched the capitalist class. The rates and the management on the railways, which are a close monopoly granted to a Dutch Company, pressed on the mining industry. It is sufficient to mention, for instance, that the rate for coal was fixed at 3d. per ton per mile.

Concessions were graned to favourites for the manufacture of dynamite and cyanide, both articles of prime necessity in gold extraction. The labour supply was crippled by the ill-treatment and exactions levied on the returning labourers, which were winked at by the authorities; and to crown all a proposal was made to take away from the gold companies, and to hand over to chosen individuals, valuable mineral ground which had occupied for a considerabre time under the legal authority of the Republic. Capital took fright and formed a political organization: utilizing with very considerabie skill the undoubted popular grievances, and stirring up an undoubted feeling of unrest and dissatisfaction which found  sympathy from every part of South Africa, in quarters where the true motive that underlay a good deal of the hostility to the existing order of things was little suspected. It is evident now, that for many months past preparations on a most extensive scale, requiring funds to an amount that is not usually at the disposal of revolutionaries, have been pushed forward. Thousands of rifles of the most approved pattern (chiefly of the Lee-Metford type) with ample stores of ammunition……  […]

Redakteur

Na ‘n uitmuntende loopbaan, tree Phyllis Lewsen aan die einde van 1981 af as medeprofessor in geskiedenis en navorser oor Kaapse parlementêre geskiedenis aan die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand. Sy publiseer ook John X. Merriman se biografie.