New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-12
THE NEW COMMONWEALTH.
cArsEs AND LEADERS OF THE MOVEMENT
WHICH MAKES AUSTRALIA A NATION.
Sydney, February IA.


Sydney, February IA.
Tho dream If an Australian nation is about to
| ho roo1ized Preparations are practically COM
L. for tho convention to be held here on March
| . md regordinr the work of that convention
,horo &c no room for doubt or uncertainty, except
ir,, some minor details. Indeed the convention IS
not intended TO be deliberative body, in the ordl-
| -. sorso NJ the word II has been chosen for
n speciaI purpose, and it Will come together WIN
definite Instructions to carry out which will be its
| most inportant function In few weeks, there
fore all the Australian colonies and Tasmania VIII
no united under General Government Ihey
will be more closely united tOgether-far more
closelv-than the Provinces of Canada, and they
will De. as a whole, far more independent OF Vno
uotber Country than is the dominion. Their
| relationship TO each other and to their Heheral
| Government will much resemble the Federal com
oct of the United States and the only tie that Will
| hind them TO England will be Governor-Gener
| n amounted by the Crown, who will be, perhaps,
ornamental probably not useful, and certainly not
| authoritative. 1t cannot truly be said that any
intense public interest is manifested here or else
where on this continent, in the coming conVenuloh'
The reason Of this indifference Is the fact That the
whole thing has been discounted in advance.
| Evervbodv has become convinced of the desir-
ability of National union and of its practcabillty
more than that, of its certainty of achievement
and so they look TO its contamination merely as 10
| the formal ratification of o fact already accom-
plished.
| Commonly speaking. the national movement here
| dates back only to 1888. But that chronology
| is at fault A generation earlier is the real date
II was in s53 that William c. Wentworth first
proposed and urged Federal Constitution for all
| the colonies Wentworth much in earnest
over it, and it was the dream of his life to see an
| independent Australian nation. He would, per-
haps have succeeded in his lofty schemes had it
not been for the fierce opposition Of one young,
rising statesman, by name Henry Parkes, and by
a curious bit Of fatality, it is that same Sir
| Henry Parkes who is now the leader OF the
National movement, and. through whose energy
and wisdom the great work is now being executed.
In the Council Chamber, here in Sydney, Sir
Henry will sit underneath the portrait OF Went
worth, bringing to pass that Of which his old-time
antagonist so fondly and so vainly dreamed
After Wentworths time the subject Of National
union was not seriously taken up until 1883. In
that year delegates from all the Australasian
colonies met in this city and framed a partial
scheme Of union, or of political cooperation. 1t
was q weak and unsatisfactory makeshift, not as
good as that of the American States before their
Constitution was adopted. Jealousies and rival
colonies and the greatest care had to be eXer-
csed not further TO excite them The outcome OF
this was that in s85 the British Parliament passed
a law establishing q Federal Council of Austral-
! asia on the lines indicated by the convention
This Council consisted of two members from each
self-govering colony and one from each Crown
Colony. 1t had almost no authority. The Crown
delegated TO it certain powers formerly exercised
by the Crown itself. And the colonies had the
privilege of deegating certain of their powers to
! it, But il had no authority to act over or in be-
half of any colony that had not specially author
lied it to do So And in the most important re-
spects the colonies remained widely separated as
ever Indeed, not all of them gave the Council
recognition New-South Wales, South Australia
and New-Zealand would have nothing to do with
it, The delegates from the other four colonies
met. however. in 1886, and 1888 at Hobart. and
| again in 1880, when South Australia decided to
join them. But not much was accomplished; al
most nothing in the nature of organic union. The
| Council exercised some Crown authority, began the
arrangement Of military and naval system. and
established the principle that topics of general
| Australian interest should be discussed by repre-
sentatves of all the Australasian peoples. That
was all. The questions of general system of
government, executive, legislative and judicial
of general fiscal policy, etc.. were left severely
alone.
A little more than year ago-on February G,
1890, to be exact-there met at Melbourne, under
the initiative Of Sir Henry Parkes, Federation
Conference. G.. r. ParIin, Of Canada, had been
travelling through the colonies speech-making
in public and privately urging upon party lead
ers the desirability of National Federation. His
public speeches were not without effect, but his
best work was done in private The result that
public men in all the colonies were led to accept
Sir Henry ParlIes's views in favor Of union. The
Melbourne Conference, then, was the outcome Of
Sir Henry's efforts, seconded by Mr.. Parlins eX-
hortatiOns. 1t consisted Of the following named
delegates: Fer New-South Wales, Sir Henry
Parkes and the Hon. w. McMillan for Victoria,
the Hon. Duncan Gillies and the Hon. Alfred
Dcakin; for Queensland, the Hon. j. NJ. Macrossan
and Sir Samuel Griffith eader Of the Opposi,
tion) for South Australia, the Hon. j. A. Cock
burn and the Hon. T. Playford Qeader of the Op.
POSITION for Western Australia, Sir James g. Lee
Steere for New-Zealand, Captain Russell and Sir
John Hall; for Tasmania, the Hon. A. j. Clark
and the Hon. B. S. Bird; for Fiji, Sir j. B.
Thurston GovernorJ. Sir Henry Parl1es was of
course the leading spirit in this body, and it was
he who, exactly year ago to-day, moved an
address to the Crown, which was unanimously
adopted and which declared
That in the opinion of this conference the best
interests and the present and future prosperity of
the Australasian colonies will be promoted by an
early union under the Crown, and. fully recog-
nizing the valuable services of the members of the
convention of 1885, in founding the Federal
Council, this conference declares its opinion that
, the seven years which have since elapsed have
developed the national life Of Australasia in 0opu-
laton, in wealth and in the discovery of resources
and in self-govening capacity, to extent which
justifies the higher act at all times contemplated
of the union of these colonies under one Legis-
lative and Executive Government on principles
just 10 the several colonies
That to the union of the Australasian colonies
: contemplated by the foregoing resolution the re-
moter Australasian colonies shall be entitled to
admission at such times and under such condi-
tons as may be hereafter agreed upon That