New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-11-27
upLANrING7OI'R FLAG IN TIE PACIFIC
r A.. In he r.


SIR: Constitutional government has extended
to the Island, Of the south Pa.c. Latest adv ices state
that in the FIJI Islands form Of representative govern
mrnt has recently been established under Inc auspices
Of some adv, from Australia Persons who knew
Melbourne AMI sydney few years ago VIII reremHr
the name of an unsuccessful livery stable keeper ana
horse dealer named Burt This man. after repeated
failures crossed TO FIJI. He there took possession or
some land which NJ bought from the natives at noni'
nal price and report saith, attempted to iniuglrhtt
business in slaves between the islands IN that V"lmy
and Queensland but the Australian Government inter
poed and the attempt failed Burt then turned 10 POI"
Ties. and havn. won the confidence "f Kin. Ma Kahan
hc suggested t. that monarch the cN"d'nry ~ DONG
the right thing and governing con-iIfutionaIy fi>t
,len to give cyid.ncc of hi di-int' >rdn">s nc
offered to accept the responsible position OF fr'm'
Minister. The King accepted the offer and Burt fo'hd
himself buriencd with the responsibility NOT only OF adj
v-ing his sovereign but ~ manufacturing Constiu
for the Fans. This does not seem to have occupied
him long for in three weeks he had IA Legislative
Assembly fully formed 10y the votes OF he people with
himself at it, head, Looking about him tor SPEAKER he
found II named ENTERS. formerly stock
broker In Melbourne" who had been deprived ~ his
license and expelled ii"m III" Legislature Of Victoria
also. Tor dl>honorahc practices The fIan legislative
Assembly constituted i not much troubled with
law making. It. 'hrt province -"u- to b" the settle
,nt uf iii putcs There l. "oppo-iton.' Everybody
SUPPORTS PRIME Minister Burt ana Nj. speaker Cutters;
nobody either then or thrlf polty
The Fiiias poud OF their Constitutional Govern
mcrt To be- dissatisfied u-t now " tn any hing.
The Importance oi the uoycn.n must not h" under
rated The Fljian> have more than once solicited the
British Government to take them under lis protection.
10 uucN them fact To the Brush r0wn. The people
If Ncw south Wales. well knowing ia" value OF the
i-lald- have dOuc the same but Mr.. Gladstone per
,,trutly REFUSES extend the Colonial empire. and viii
have nothnc 20 do with them. IN spit" Of thl- the
Australians are tAcriing Themselves vigorously toohaln
IA footing in Fiji AMI the present movement Will greatly
>trcncth n them Indeed il j. not Improbable that 1t
may leaI a. it i meant 10 lead. To revolt similar 10
that Won Rajh Brook in Eornr0; and that III few
y.ar> England WILL Notwithstanding present Intentions,
be- forced To- consent to let her flag fly the FijS.
Long ago the attention Of people called to the
value Of some OF the South Pacific Islands. Even now
larg trade exists between Australia and South America
and the commercial relations daily becoming
important sydney and California. Australia il
Il continent as large Europe. Of enormous resources
aud great natural wealth. Az its population increases
an important trade must mp between 1t and
Western states: and then American station In the
Pacific will be- not only valuable hut almost n necessity.
Moreover, the islands independently of that
.idraton valuable They Possess the richest
soil aud the most exquisite climate AMI In the hands OF
AN entcrprisng people would he Of great wealth.
The Fiji group alone numbers nearly ' Islands OF which
more than fourth nhabitcd hut know that there
i strong influence eycrted by the Australians
against the American flag. In the neiehborlnS
Navigators group there IT, however. an equally wide
Id and the location Of these islands Ia perhaps better
adapted American needs than IL that OF the Fills
Other spots might also lie selected for planting our flag
but that il Of secondary import. What | would urge
now is the cxpediency " our obtaining footing some
where OH the Pacific The worth VI the great groups OF
islands there has too little understood France re-
Gently took possession OF Caledonia but France has
no Interests there compared with our own. There il
room In the South Pacific for powerful Republican
Confederation and America ought to be allowed to
ercisc her influence there while there 10 yet time The
attention OF North Germany has already been directed
to it, but what American desire to see repetition Of
the evil lot OF the Philippines. where grand,grOup OF
islands allowed 10 to waste under foreign misre
Neither IL Il In interest to allow European power
like that Of Germany control the chief highway be-
tween the United States and Australia. Nothing would
DO easier now than establish the American hg In the
Pacific and nothing would in q few years prove more
valuable to commerce. and to general influence
In the " East"
The command Of the Pacific should belong o the Ineo
States Beside Australia there the sndian Archipelago
and south Asia, which day by day are growing
more important ccners Of commerce They caunot 10
expected long continue torpid Modernenerprse VIII
allow vast tract, Of Land rich In mineral anu agrlcul'
tura wealth, alled with magnificent scenery capaoie OF
yielding all the productions Of tropical ana semr"plcal
regions and endowed with the most rIsbe ana ',1urous
climate that the enrth affords. ~ remain ID CONDITION VI
barbarUus nutility The natural and nearest neignnr
to the various countries our western ooundary' ana
the limo 10 prc pare for the future Ii the present By
ourselves 10 the Pacific not only put our
s~yes IN readiness gather the first fruits OF any rx'
tens,on Of but wo sre alrO enabled " control