The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-31

Will Always NlnO1Chl9 themselves III Jue Gnu
and in their own sure way. Seven years is
long for "good time" to last Let him who
has secured his gains rejoice and take care of
them. Seven also was the number of fat
beeves the king saw in his dream, but for all
that seven lean ones closed the procession.
THE INSURGENTS OF THE RED RIVER.
From the London Nation.
AS far as we can see the British Govern
ment has only one course to pursue with the
insurgent "Winnipeggers," the derisive
Americans call them, and that is to wait
quietly till summer arrives, and then restore
the imperial authority, if necessary, by an ex-
pedition as powerful as that which overthrow
King Theodore. The case of the insurgents
is no doubt very remarkable, and in one re-
spect exceptional, but they are pleading it in
q way to which no government that intends to
continue existing can possibly submit They
are appealing to a foreign power to assist them
in repelling legal jurisdiction set over them
by Parliament, and in the meantime re-
sisting that Jurisdiction by force
of arms. Technically they have no
case at all The few thousand settlers in re-
volt on the Red river do not form o colony in
the modern sense of that term, that is, de-
pendent State owing allegiance to her Ma
jesty in the last resort, but welding many of
the powers of sovereignty; but are simply
body of squatters within her Majesty's domi-
Mon, who have been allowed to do very
much as they pleased, but who are none the
less bound to obey the authority set over
them, provided only that the authority is
British. They seem to see this themselves,
for in the Declaration of Independence issued
on the 0th of December at Fort Garry, ''Pre-
sident" John Bruce declares, on behalf of the
Provisional Government, that the settlers
have been transferred without their own con-
sent to "a foreign power, and intimates that
they are rebelling against that but the asser-
tion is absolutely without foundation. The
Canadian Dominion is as much a part of
her Majestys realm as the county of
Cornwall, and the settlers have
as much legal right to resist their
annexation to Canada as the people of Gro
marty would have to resist the fusion of their
oddly-divided county into Ross and Suther-
land shires. In driving out Mr.. Macdougall,
if he were legally appointed-a fact of which
there is some doubt-they are resisting the
Queen representative and resistance of that
kind cannot be tolerated if the Empire is to
hold together. 1t is one thing to allow q
colony, organized by Parliament with view
to its ultimate independence, to go free after
a regular vote and negotiation, and quite an
other to permit handful of settlers to kick
out the royal flag and transfer the territories
they happen to roam over to foreign power.
| The Winnipeggers claim the whole North
| west of which they do not occupy thou
| sandth Fart, and are said to intend to
| appeal to President Grant that they and
their" possessions may be included within
the Union. 1t is quite impossible for any
| government to put up with coercion of that
| kind, and great as the difficulties in the way
| of action are, they must be faced and faced by
Great Britain. II is her authority which is
resisted, and not that of Canada, for the set
| tiers haven formed themselves into a colony
willing to accept British Governor, in which
case we might have waited few years for the
fusion ordered by Parliament; but into a
| State claiming independence, and intending
to request admittance into the Union. The
difficulty of exerting British power at that dis
tance and in such a locality is very great but
| it must be faced as similar difficulties were
faced in Abyssinia, or we must be content to
allow that British authority oan be safely de-
fed whenever it is inconvenient to exert it
that is, we must surrender the first idea of
empire. 1t is greatly to be regretted that a
force cannot be despatched to the Red river
| at once, but that Is, we presume, impossible.
We cannot proceed by the natural route
through Minnesota, the republic forbidding
transit for troops across its territory, and ac-
ton by the Canadian route involves the
march of a thousand men, with arms ammu-
milton, and baggage-that is, practically of
| 2000 men and 1900 horses-through an j M
| perNl0uS forest In Wnlcn every pound OF
forage must be carried, and every
step of the road must be cut with the
axe, awork which in winter may be pronounced
impossible The men would die of cold and
want of provisions, or arrive too exhausted to
be of service. There is nothing to do but
wait; but, the weather once favorable, that
road must be made at any expense, and the
Red River brought back to its allegiance, il
necessary by force. The danger of American
complications, though no doubt considerable,
must be faced as courageously as may be,
with full consciousness that it is serious, but
a full resolve also not to suffer it to enfeeble
an Imperial policy. If we are to remain il
North America at all, we must act in our owr
dominions without this incessant reference
to the ideas of statesmen who never defect
their own policy out of any Difference TO us
There is neither dignity nor safety in this
perpetual apprehension of a power which
knows perfectly we'll that war with Great
Britain would be the gravest event in its his
tory, and if not insulted or assailed, will a
least choose a great occasion for SO great
struggle The Union does not want the Rex
River at the price of a seven years war.
But we may be asked, although these
settlers in Lake Winnepeg are legally in the
wrong, may thoy not have II moral justitica
ton for their action? That is only to asl
again the old question of the limit to tn
right of insurTection. Has every community
however small, the right to destroy an orga
= nization, however great, because it think
, that by such destruction it may benefit itself
May the people of the Orkneys morally CLAIM
, right to set up for themselves! We dar
say the fow thousands of people represented