St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-21
ENGLISH FEDER1TION

Ten years ago, the relations of Great Bril-
tain with her colonies were anything but
pleasant, or satisfactory. There was i'll feel
ing on both sides, the colonies believing and
asserting that the mother country did not do
enough for them and the mother country
equally positive in believing and asserting
that the colonies were rapacious, grasping
and ever demanding more than they were
entitled to. To-day" says the London
Times, ''the conditions are different. The
colonies are no longer looked upon
with the cool indifference. of ill-dis-
guised dislike. We are proud of them
and we have confidence in them. We have
no excuse Tor treating them as poor relations,
unfortunate and exacring, and not to be
trusted in times of need" Why this charge
in the sentiments of the people in the United
Kingdom towards the English colonists, is
not explained. So far as one can judge of
the situation from this country there has
arisen no reason why the colonists are either
more or less ''poor relations than they were
dozen years ago. But there has come
change, and very marked one.
a conference was held in London at which
were present many members of both poilti-
cal parties and representatives from most of
the English colonies. The celebrated W. E.
Forster, alias ''Buckshot," presided, and
discussion was had as to the necessity of
imperial federation. series of resolutions
formed the basis of the conference, one of
which recited, that in order to maintain the
permanent unity Of the Empire some extern
sion of its political organization will be in
dispensable, so that the large and
rapidly increasing population of the
factions of the empire beyond the sea may
have an adequate voice in the control of the
foreign relations defense, and all other COM
mon interests and concerns, and may take
fair share in sustaining imperial responsible
ties. During the speaking which took place, the
methods of federation were carefully omit
ted, the purpose of the assemblage being
apparently to develop the benefits of fedora
ton, without in any respect, indicating the
practical shape it would take in being carried
into effect.
That there is felt in great Britain the ne
cessity of closer union with the late des-
pissed colonies is evident from a resolution
which was presented to the effect that the
''political relations between Great Britain
and her colonies must inevitably lead to ulti-
mate federation or disintegrations, and that
in order to Arrest the latter and secure the
permanent unity of the empire, some form
of federation is indispensable. What is
the secret of this sudden change of
attitude towards the coloniesI 1t
cannot be that mere commercial interests
underlie the agitation, for the reason that the
mother country would gain in a federation
nothing which she does not already possess,
in the direction of trading facilities 1t is
possible that the agitation which has pre-
vailed for some years in man of the colon
les for separation from Great Britain has had
the effect to alarm the latter and to suggest
the scheme of federation is at once an alter
native and remedy.
As matter of fact, Great Britain has to
retain the colonies or fall back into an in
sular power, inferior in population, and one
which is liable to rapidly retrograde to a sub
ordinate position among the nations. Even
now there are two countries which are greater
than it in population, Russia aud the United
States. The latter is growing with enormous
rapidity, and viii soon outnumber Britain,
three, five, ten to one. England must
extend itself in some direction, or it
viii speedily become a mere speck in
the ocean of national existence. Possibly in
this direction may lie an explanation of the
desire Tor federation. Australia is itself
continent. 1t has strong party which fav-
OTIS independence, and it may be that the
growth OF this party, the importance of the
colony, aud the possibilities of the future, in
which England sees itself isolated on little
island in the north Atlantic, has led to the
demand for federation.
The character of this proposed federation
is something as yet unsuggested, but it may
be of kind that viii render the result one
Of infinite influence on the other portions of
the world. 4 federation which should unite