The sun., 1894-09-02

EnHlnnu. nelInef HffI1S NtTN EbhNhNs @'N
body objects TO fireworks, while the support
given by Australia to the dock strike was
regarded by many In England as mischievous
ineddling In a dispute about which Aus
tralia knew nothing, and ia which she had
no concern.
What is the object Of the federation An
object, an evident object, an object great
enough to control centrifugal tendencies,
every association must have and the neces-
sity Is unusually apparent In the case OF an
association which Is to embrace the British,
the Australians, the Canadians, the people
Of South Africa, the people Of the Inited
States. aud the Hindus. Whatever the
natural influences OF race and Ian
guage can do, they will do in the
course Of nature without the help OF
n huge political machine. What more
does the fetleratlonist seek Apparently the
leadership OF the world. Anglo-Saxons,"
says Sir GEORGE. "are the predominant
race, anil it lies with them to lead the way
In the new epoch" The Gallo, Germanic,
Italic, and Iberian races will protest. The
Gallic rooster will protest with beak and
claw. Sir GEORGE thinks that Anglo-Saxon
federation would extinguish war. But
nothing, surely, would be less likely to
produce universal peace than the proclama-
ton Of an Auglo-Saxon league formed
TO dominate the world, and TO assert that
1.-THE future Of humanity must rest prima-
rily in Anglo-Saxon hands" ls it probable
that the nations Of Europe would disarm
when they were told that league had been
formed for the purpose Of "girdling the
world with benehcent influences through
the medium Of the AngloSaNon y Would
they not rather regard the announcement as
the loudest possible call 10 arms? The
more practical OF the imperial feder-
ationists see this They are always
eyhorting the colonies to arm them
selves, and their own Government TO grasp
all the military and naval points Of the
globe Universal peace can hardly have
been in the mind Of Sir JOHN MACDONALD
when he declared himself in favor Of hsv-
ing an arrangement made between the cen
tral United Kingdom and all the colonies,
by which the auxiliary kingdom of Canada
and the auxiliary kingdom OF Australasia
should together form one great empire, and
by uniting their forces, by upitingtbeir men
and money, should together be 20 strong as
an empire that they would control the world
in arms
Besides the imposition OF peace upon
warning world, the propagation OF Chris
tianity is an object with Sir GEORGE. But
surely we are wise enough by this time to
know that the propagation Of religion is
best left to religion itself. How social
and labor questions" should be settled by
political federation, as Sir GEORGE GREY
declares they will, 1t is surely difficult to
discern.
II there is any one who has worked out
the constitution for an imperial or Anglo
Saxon federation, it must he Sir GEORGE
GREY. Yet he, like the resi-, is fain Ia dep
recate "cut and dry" schemes. Cut and
dry or not there must be working plan for
the political architect before a stone OF this
vast structure can be laid IL must be
clearly understood OF what the Federal Gov
ernment is to consist, what relation il is TO
bear To the British monarchy aud British
diplomacy, how and upon what basis 1t ia
to be elected, what its powers are TO be, how
its edicts or acquisitions are to he enforced,
how tho Federal Constitution is to he
amended, and by what tribunal interpreted
and conserved These are not questions OF
detail, such as may be left for arrangement
when the main structure Is complete. They
are questions, without clear answers 20
which. no prudent statesman, nobody but
hair-brained enthusiast, would think OF
LAYING tue foundation stone. To provide
raw materials for federation and reduce
its members to the necessary level Of equal
ity, Sir GEORGE proposes to break up The
United Kingdom, perhaps to restore the
Heptarchy; and he Is probably right in
thinking that this is a necessary part OF his
plan. But how Is such an operation 10 be
set on foot What British Ministry OF Par
lament would be found to initiate national
dissolution There would be no small
difficulty even in bringing together
the Congress by which the Federal
Constitution should he framed. The
| Governments Of the several colonies
are continually changing with the vicissi-
tudes Of local party, and some OF the dele
gates would hardly have time TO take their
seats before their credentials would be with
drawn. Then would come the ratification Of
| the Constitution by all the separate members
of the league, u process OF the difficulty
OF which the history of ratification
In the case Of the American Constitu-
| tion Is memorable proof, although the
American Constitution was pressed upon
the acceptance Of the people not only by the
ablest advocacy, hut by the most urgent
necessity: whereas, In the case of an i'm
perial or Anglo-Saxon federation there
would bs no necessity whatever nor any
thing stronger than fancy "a oppose TO all
| the mutual jeaiousles and divergences Of
interest which would infailibiy he called
into play.
Sir GEORGE admits as indeed ne could not
| fail 10 admit, that history affords him no
precedent; but he says the conditions Of the
present age are new. Still, there are con-
ditions. The Lucania breaks the record
but she requires coal TO make her steam,
and Sir GEORGE GREY's federation re-
quires q predominant OF the centrip-
etal over the centrifugal forces To
form il and TO hold it together when it is
formed 1t requires, as much as any as
| snciation in history An intelli0iblR and SuIl-