The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-05-21
A Proposal to Am,ricauIzo the British
Mnnnlrn-


Empire.
Mr.. Gladstone has repeatedly invited
tho Irish Nationalists to explain HOY
the measure of home rule, which the,
advocate, can DO reconciled with tn
present British system Of parliamentary
government. Thio, of course, is tanta
mountto doferring acquiesonce In thei
demands 10 tho Greek Kslends. Tn
more comprehensive movement for
| confederation of the United Kingdom
with all OF the British colonies, which
are now virtually self-governlng, has 0
late gained some headway, but 10 meets
with much the same Oh
strucLiOn as thwarts tho agitation fol
homo rule. Most OF the federativC
schemes suggested arc plainly unac
Ceptablo 70 the remote dependencies
while the only project which promises
to improve their situation, il incOmpati
bic with the existing British policy
That such project should have beer
put forward at sll, however, Is an in
dlcation oil growing respect for Amori
can institutions, and merely as piece
OF news deserves attention ia this coun
try.
1t Is Sir Samuel Wilson who takes The
bull by the horns and frankly acknOw
! lodges in the Nineteenth Century thai
! II the widely scattered and loosely
! jointod British empire Is 10 be saved
| from dissolution, 10 must adopt tho sys.
tenn which obtains I'm the United States.
He proposes that the powers necessary
for tho general defence, and roughly
corresponding to those vested in our
federal congress, should be withdrawn
from the present parliament and intrus.
ted 10 new imperial body consisting
OF two chambers, Each chamber, a.
cording to this plan, would comprise lO(
member, chosen somewhat "a are the
senators under our own system, the
upper house being elected by the uppoi
houses OF the several colonies and divis.
! Ions Of the empire, and the lower house
| by the popular branches OF the state
! Legislatures. All laW.making powers
not expressly delegated to the national
assembly W uld be lodged, as with us
In local bodies, tho scheme contemplate
ing three separate parliaments
| for tho three main com
pouents Of the United Kingdom eng.
| land, Scotland and Irelaum, eacb
| to embrace % house Of commons and a
house of peers, the latter, OF course, bo.
ing mado up of the peers belonging 20
each Kingdom, 10 lis OptimiStically CON.
puted that the whole annual eXpondi.
turo FOR national purposes, including
the army, the navy, tho diplomatic ser.
viC0, and the cost OF the federal eX0gu
tive and legislative departments, would
not exceed Sl5O,OOO,0O0 Of which pun
each colony would DO called upon TO de-
fray a part, pr0portonod to ia wealth
and population. We should note further
that only the colonies which already sn-
JOY a large measure of seltsovtrunent
would be placed upon an Oquai footing
with tho three kingdoms In the fedora
ton. The Indian empire and what arc
known as Crown colonies would occupy
"a position assimilated TO that hold by
our territories.
Sir Samuel Wilson is aware that such
q iodoral organization would have to be-
embodied in n paper constitution, but
he thinks tue objections 20 such au CO..
strumont have lost their force, now thai
the organic law Of the United States h.
hOrno the multiiAriOus tests of q cep-
! tury, including the strain OF trornpn-
dOus civil war. But be has not worked
out his scheme In oil its details, nor
does he seem quito alive to tho revolu.
ton which constitution like that
of the United States would inevitably
work In the British executive and
judiciary. lie takes for granted thai
the monarchioal form would DO re.
lalned, and seems to think that IN
hereditary king might safely be on
dowed with tho powers committed [,
an American president. IIo can hardly
appreciate how extensive those powers
are. Certainly our constitution,
trainers would never have dreamed OF
bestowing functions so large upon An
hereditary ruler, or even on a chic
magistrate holding Office for life.
Ihere ~ another rock ON which this
scheme for British federation would bt
likely 10 split. How would the new i'm.
porial parliament tnd ways aud meansi
By imposing upon the whole confed.
oraoy uniform taiif of custom dutips9
Sir samuel admits that tho Dominion
oil canada aud tho Australian colonies
would hardly. submit 10 that interior.
ence with their main resource. The only
other expedient would bo 10 ask the h.
cal legislature OF each colony
10 vote each year its desiS.
mated share OF tho national eS-
pondtture; but such vote might
oiton be- delayed or utterly prevented
by disputes about.the correctness of the
quota exacted, or tho ability OF tho col
ony 10 pay IL. That is, OF course. the
very difficulty which the United states
encountered undor the OLD articles oil
confederation.
The. truth is that the more closely we
examine the. proposition TO apply the
American federal system 10 the British
empire tho more impractioablo il seems,
Undoubtedly tho sole alternative is no.
lltical disintegration, and such keen
students OF history as Prof. Freeman do
not shrink from looking II suuarely In
the iaoe.-- New York Sun.