The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-02-20 00:00:00

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SATU,DAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 1886.

TEIE IMPERIAL FEDERATION
LEAGUE.

THE Imperial 'Federation League, which
has for its obj:..ct the promotion of closer
union between cue Colonies and the Mother
Country, has this week held its first annual
meeting in London. The record of the
nitial year's work tarnishes a fair measure
of encouragement to the friends of the cause.
There is ample evidence that the labours of
the League are acceptable to the Colonies
themselves, and without this, efforts in the
direction aimed at would be worse than
futile. The desire for identification in
matters of mutual effect must be as fully
evinced by Colonial opinion as by English-
men of the old laud here to be at all pro-
ductive of Listing results. As the Marquis
of borne has well said, there must be no pos-
sibility that anyone should imagine that
there was a disposition on the part of the
Home Government to scheme for the revival
of the rule of Downing street at the Anti-
podes or in Canada. Happily no such mo-
tive actuates the Imperial Federation League,
and happily the Colonies do not suspect that
to be the explanation of the movement to
wrap the old flag tighter round the England
beyond the seas growing greater and greater
year by year. At the League anniversary
-Catada showed her approval by the presence
of Sir Charles Tupper, her High Commis-
sioner here ; and his predecessor in the resi-
dent representation of the Anglo-American
North-West in London, Sir Alexander Galt,
Was a prominent and sympathetic speaker at
the meeting. The Agents-General for the
Cape and for Victoria also lent the sanction
of their official presence to the League on
the.! kieeagiOn ; and there were many besides
an .ee er less representative of New England
ter, e)ries taking part in the gathering.
:)s the Federation movement will, ere
very. i.lg, have the effect of giving to our
Celenies a direct voice in the Imperial Par-
liament at St. Stephen's; and, if so, no
better Colonial representatives could be
found than men of the grave senatorial type
of Sir Charles Tupper—earnest, straight-
forward, astute, and yet destitute of the
diplomatic canning which aims at obtaining
undue advantage. The Colonies generally,
in sending to the English capital a delegate
to watch their interests, seem always to ap-
point an excellent statesman ; and the post,
indeed, of Agent-General has become
scarcely less important than that of the
Premier in the case of some of the Colonies.
Such men would be ornaments to the House
of Commons, and would infuse lucidity into
all Colonial debates. The Motherland would
honour herself in honouring her offshoots by
admitting their accredited ambassadors—for
such they are— to her counsels. As to the
material progress made by the Federation
Leaeae in then twelve months past, its objects
ere Already largely supported in New South
Wales, Victoria, New Zealand, Tasmania,
Que,milan,l, South Australia, all parts of
Canada, South Africa, Singapore, Hong.
K 311,, Barbadoes, and Gibraltar. The ques-
tions involved in the idea of Federation are
Vans under discussion wherever interest is
involved ; and this is the League's plan of
action at present. It seeks to set all con-
cerned thoroughly thinking. To this end
branches have been opened in important
centres in all parts of the United Kingdom,
and there appears to be a concensus of opin-
ion in favour of Federation, and little that
carries weight to the contrary. So far this
is the extent of the work of the League ; but
an intelligent consideration having been
aroused, the question will coatin.ae to de-
velop to the ripening point. There are new
n ) less than 70 members of Parliament on
tee eeieral oonamittee of the League, and
teeee lo not, it is held, by any means repre-
i eat the full number of British legislators
who favour a closer colonial union with tha
o1:1 oiutrv. The League is wide enough
in its conformation to accept those who dif-
fer much as to the best means to be adopted
in furthering Federation ; in fact the body
itself has not made up its own mind. At
present the leaguers then may follow their
own programme peudngthe agreement ne-
on recognised g,enerat action, and maintain
their own unions; the common object of all
beiag the .oeud o union between them.
Another cheering point about the Colonial
Federation qaestroe is)7leit it is one upon
whose plat Form Liberal and Conservative
may meet in hearty -acreorj, and teke an en-
joyable respite from the distraction of party
differences. For the eerieet Peadical in the
land, howezer extreme mey be his thinking
on meny another inettee, eieeld, if he ho
honest at all e,•
solably bound up wile ;a reiatione
of the hovnieet aceeee. advantages of
union to 1,,t±4
In mAtter4l of - ;:.i.erea.auf,i3 a
matnel or til..• 0., eetent cannot
but be bent Lil to .leafa -Lea er and seller,
a.nda gree'ly eee'eaeee of rnaea-
facturee cold be ereseljeS. te profit of
either party As. te •lee ~-•
eleee; 11,, ta.a, mid
her Colonil..; eolubine, I tn i against
the world ; iby teineee, aeilea they
would b 3 p.tet!ty pateet
ecee -oiteuee small
occasion arlie. e-iitt (>ll, pulse thrills
through every Eaa.l ee form -,vne.a the call
to arms is heard yeas shown sigaideently in
the Soudan. Why net, give SlAte recogni-
tion. to the kinehip which distanee ie 'power-
less to sever ? Oar Celenial trade increases
even whoa a docreeat i 4 regiiteredae regarils
conam.ercial transactions w;tli foreign
countries. We must rely more and more on
the markets, of oar Colonies as an outlet for
the over-production of menufacturers in
home arhim centres ; awl, on-the ocher liend,
the 7::,..eueral and grain-raising lands weere-
e'ee fikg flit* under strinier se-jos
them Jere will send ns supplies of food
grovvt'ee, as good and considerably less costly
thee those with which we are able to providl-.
ourselves. The Lord Mayor of Loudon, who
s strongly in favour of Imperial Federation,
gave neteranee the other evening to a hope
that the Colonial Exhibition will do Some- 1
thing to mature the views of English colon- i
ists on this question, and, doubtless, the stream
of COU.3infl from every quarter of the cart),
wlee r'--"l; Sent leereengton next sum.
setae ,';ii leefed iialat direotiot, and hal c. a
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