Editing Paul Kruger (section)

===Mediator===
[[File:M W Pretorius.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Marthinus Wessel Pretorius|M W Pretorius]], who became the Transvaal's first President in 1857|alt=A moustachioed man in a dark three-piece suit]]

Marthinus Pretorius hoped to achieve either federation or amalgamation with the Orange Free State, but before he could contemplate this he would have to unite the Transvaal. In 1855 he appointed an eight-man constitutional commission, including Kruger, which presented a draft constitution in September that year. Lydenburg and Zoutpansberg rejected the proposals, calling for a less centralised government. Pretorius tried again during 1856, holding meetings with eight-man commissions in Rustenburg, Potchefstroom and Pretoria, but [[Stephanus Schoeman]], Zoutpansberg's new Commandant-General, repudiated these efforts.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp = 37–39}}

The constitution settled upon formalised a national [[Volksraad of the South African Republic|Volksraad]] (parliament) and created an executive council, headed by a president. Pretorius was sworn in as the first president of the South African Republic on 6 January 1857. Kruger successfully proposed Schoeman for the post of national Commandant-General, hoping to thereby end the factional disputes and foster unity, but Schoeman categorically refused to serve under this constitution or Pretorius. With the Transvaal on the verge of civil war, tensions also rose with the Orange Free State after Pretorius's ambitions of absorbing it became widely known. Kruger had strong personal reservations about Pretorius, not considering him his father's equal, but nevertheless remained steadfastly loyal to him.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp = 39–41}}

After the Free State government dismissed an ultimatum from Pretorius to cease what he regarded as the marginalisation of his supporters south of the Vaal, Pretorius called up the burghers and rode to the border, prompting President [[Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff]] of the Free State to do the same. Kruger was dismayed to learn of this and on reaching the Transvaal commando he spoke out against the idea of fighting their fellow Boers. When he learned that Boshoff had called on Schoeman to lead a commando against Pretorius from Zoutpansberg and Lydenburg, he realised that disbanding was no longer enough and that they would have to make terms.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp = 41–42}}

With Pretorius's approval, Kruger met Boshoff under a [[white flag]]. Kruger made clear that he personally disapproved of Pretorius's actions and the situation as a whole, but defended his president when the Free Staters began to speak harshly of him. A commission of 12 men from each republic, including Kruger, reached a compromise whereby Pretorius would drop his claim on the Free State, and a treaty was concluded on 2 June 1857.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp = 42–43}}{{#tag:ref|When two Free State burghers who had taken Pretorius's side were soon thereafter sentenced to hang for [[high treason]], Kruger went to Bloemfontein at Pretorius's request and persuaded the Free State government to commute the death sentences to fines, which he then even had reduced.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp=42–43}}|group = "n"|name = "fines"}} Over the next year Kruger helped to negotiate a peace agreement between the Free State and [[Moshoeshoe I]] of the Basotho,{{sfn|Meredith|2007|pp = 74–76}} and persuaded Schoeman to take part in successful talks regarding constitutional revisions, after which Zoutpansberg accepted the central government with Schoeman as commandant-general.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp = 44–45}} On 28 June 1858 Schoeman appointed Kruger Assistant Commandant-General of the South African Republic.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|p = 47}} "All in all", Kruger's biographer T&nbsp;R&nbsp;H Davenport comments, "he had shown a loyalty to authority in political disputes, devotion to duty as an officer, and a real capacity for power play."{{sfn|Davenport|2004}}