'Rightist' Journalist Lauds South African Apartheid

Praising the current system of racial segregation in South Africa, apartheid, as favorable to Blacks and whites, a noted European journalist last night said one-man, one-vote rule cannot presently succeed, because of many conflicting tribal and European factions.

Speaking at Emerson Hall, Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, the European correspondent for National Review, told an audience of about 30 people that total desegregation under majority rule could actually reverse recent economic gains made by Blacks there.

He argued that majority rule could leave Black "minority tribes crushed" under the will of larger ones. He said hatred among rival Black factions is more divisive than the antagonism between Blacks and whites.

Moreover, Kuehnelt-Leddihn, who refuses to vote in his native Austrian elections, downplayed all forms of self-government, saying, "It is more important to live under a good government than voice an insignificant single vote in a democracy."

In his speech, sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Conservative Club, Kuehnelt-Leddihn said apartheid is weakening its hold, adding that the complete segregation of facilities between white and non-whites is collapsing because it is "morally irrational."