The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-05-05


and cold, of French and Indian wars,
aud of long and desperate struggle
for freedom, that the hardy self
reliant New England character was
forged. Australia has undergone no
such severe discipline, nor have her
people yet been called upon to make
any great sacrifices for the public
good. They have never felt the
pressure of common dangers to COM
pei them to unite or perish, as did
the old thirteen American colonies.
Enjoying, as they do, nearly all
the privileges of independence, with
out its burdens and responsibilities,
it is hard to induce these spoiled
children of the Empire" to make the
sacrifices necessary to form a FEEDER
alton.
1t is true that each colony has a
governor, sent out from England,
but under their system of responsible
ministries he has little more than
social and advisory functions, as a
visible representative of the Empire.
The Colonial Office veto on colonial
legislation is exercised only in rare
cases, as when "the obligations of
the Empire to foreign power are
affected. or an Imperial statute in
iringed." Even this veto was dis
regarded in the case of Chinese immi-
grafton. Both Canada and Austria.
Tia have outgrown the family discip-
line of the mother country. Again,
a legal appeal can be carried up to
the Judicial committee of the Prlvy
Council, which to certain extent
discharges the function of an I'M
perlal Supreme Court. No citizen of
the British Empire will lightly give
up his right to "appeal unto Cesar"
Such then are the slight restric-
tons on the autonomy of the colo
MES, in return for which they derive
substantial moral and material adj
vantages. Under the security of the
British flag, enormous sums of
money are invested in the colonies
at low rates of interest. Every colo
mist has the freedom of world wide
Empire, and in whates er part of the
globe he may wander, he is under
the protection of the Imperial 9gis.
This fact should tend to widen his
intellectual and moral horizon, and
to counteract the growth of too
narrow provincialism.
The Southern colonies are among
the most democratic states in the
world. 1t is, however, law-abiding
and practical democracy. Nowhere
are property and life safer than
there. The laws are vigorously exc
cuted. Murderers are hanged. Their
great cities are well governed under
household suffrage, with an absurdly
small police force. The "Australian
ballot" system is making its way
through all Notwithstanding coun-
tries. Victoria, one of the smallest
and youngest of these colonies, is
the most interesting from the energy
and intelligence of her people, the
ability of her statesmen and jurists,
and the boldness of the political ex-
periments which they are making.
For five years she has had a nom
partisan Board of Civil Service com
missioners, and her civil service.
freed from the incubus of political
patronage, has become credit to
the country.
In every colony the lower house,
or Legislative Assembly is chosen by
universal suffrage, except IN Tasma-
MIA, where a property qualification is
required. The upper house or Lee
gislative Council is elected by pro-
perly holders in the three southern
colonies, for periods of from six to
nine years, but is appointed by the
crown for life in the other colonies.
In every colony the judges are APP
pointed by the Governor by and with
the advice of the Cabinet, who are
responsible to the lower house. None
of these colonies has an established
church, like the province of Quebec.
They all support state schools, which
are unsectarian, and elementary in
structou is generally free and COM
pulsory. This system meets, of
course, the opposition of the Roman
Catholic Church, as everywhere else.
Victoria and New South Wales have
universities of a high order, besides
schools of engineering, of mines, of
agriculture, etc. They have import
ed men of European regulations to
be their state geolo9ists, botanists
and astronomers.
Local option laws of various de-
grees of strictness have been passed
by all the colonies, and by general
testimony there is marked and
steady decrease of drinking habits.
Statistics also show decrease of
crime, of which there is already much
less than in the Old Country.
The chief social and political pecu-
liarities of Australia are closely con-
nected with the abnormal growth of
its great cities. These colonies have
a larger proportion of their popua-
ton in the capital cities than is the
case anywhere else in the world.
Sydney, with about 400, 000),
Melbourne (about 460, 000) and AIDE
laide O20, 000) each contains from
80 to 40 percent of the population of
their respective colonies, and this
proportion is increasing, as the coun-
try towns are at a staudstlll, and the
whole life of each colony is being