Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/130

 iio History of the Cape Colony. [1878 The debate that followed showed not only great differ- ences of opinion as to the constitutional bearing of what had occurred, but the widest possible divergence of views as to actual occurrences. On the one side it was asserted that Messrs. Molteno and Merriman had ignored the governor in important matters, that they had in an illegal and unconstitutional manner directed the movements of colonial forces, not by way of advice to the governor, but upon their own responsibility alone, and that they had made appointments, including that of the commandant-general, without the sanction of the governor. In the spirit of these views, Mr. Boyes, their extreme exponent, gave notice that when Mr. Merriman's proposi- tion was put to the vote, he would move as an amend- ment that "1. In the opinion of this house the conduct of the late ministers, and especially of the late commissioner of crown lands and public works, in wholly ignoring his Excellency the governor and assuming the control over the colonial forces, and as commander-in-chief directing aggressive movements and appointing officers without the concurrence, or even the knowledge, of his Excellency, was most unjustifiable ; "2. That the thanks of the colony, as represented by this house, are due to his Excellency the governor for causing the imperial and colonial forces to be supplied through one commissariat department, instead of having two supply departments competing with each other, and thus raising the price of provisions considerably, and that the conduct of the late ministers in this respect was unconstitutional, extravagant, and unwarrantable ; "3. That the action taken by the late ministers tended to increase the number of the queen's enemies, forced into rebellion tribes not otherwise disposed to be hostile, and that their conduct has in every way been indefens- ible, and has tended to prolong the war and rebelhon.'