Crucially, he shared with the Cape government the belief that the Cape's non-racial constitution was still fragile and that it was "impossible that the Cape's native laws would survive a session of bargaining with the Boer republics. Federation in 1875 would have produced the same results as Union did in 1910... Barkly was undoubtedly right to foster the nucleus of a Liberal party which was forming around Molteno. Liberal democracy was a tender plant in the climate of South Africa, but it had taken root in the Cape, and it was only the insensitive handling of Downing Street which prevented it growing, as Barkly hoped, into a force which would have been strong enough to control the other tendencies in South African politics."
Crucially, he shared with the Cape government the belief that the Cape's non-racial constitution remained fragile and that native laws would be "impossible to survive negotiations with the Boer republics. Federation in 1875 would have yielded similar results as Union did in 1910... Barkly was undoubtedly correct to foster a Liberal party around Molteno. Liberal democracy was a delicate plant in South Africa's climate, but it had taken root in the Cape, and only the insensitive handling by Downing Street prevented its growth into a force capable of controlling other political tendencies."