The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-03-08

structionist should be welcomed In such
cause, yea, gloried In az title Of honori
Lord Rosebery and imperial Federation.
The Canadian loyalists are showing q
good deal OF citation at the accession OF
Lord RosEBKRT to the leadership OF the
Liberal party. Knowing that he has been
an advocate Of what is called imperial feder-
alton. they assume that he will miss no OPP
portunity OF tightening the bonds between
the Dominion and the United Kingdom.
II is one thing for a relatively young and
ambitious man. while he Is out Of Office. or
holding subordinate place In Cabinet. to
cherish the dream OF Welding the whole
British empire in federation resembling
the American Union. When the same man
becomes Prime Minister. and feels upon his
shoulders the weight Of undivided respon-
sibiity. he becomes alive TO the difficulty
OF formulating q definite and practicable
federative system. The essence OF feder-
alive system is that the largest possible
measure Of State rights shall be conceded.
that is compatible with the delegation Of the
protection OF collective interests to central
legislature and executive. The experience
OF the Swiss cantons. OF the United Prov
inces. OF the United States. and OF the Ger
man empire has demonstrated that. aside
from the recognition Of the principle just
mentioned. two other things are indispensa-
bic TO the smooth. efficient. and permanent
working Of federative institutions. One is
that tho cost OF protecting the collective in
terests shall be distributed. as nearly as
possible in proportion to the popula-
ton. among the constituent States
the other Is that the money need
ed for imperial purposes must be
exacted In the form OF taxes by the central
power directly from the people. instead OF
being the outcome Of contributions from
the members OF the confederacy. Under
the Articles OF Federation which preceded
the adoption Of our Federal Constitution,
the necessity OF depending wholly on such
contributions came near proving fatal to the
Union: and In the German empire the CEN
trail power has recognized the need OF min
imizlng the fraction Of the imperial revenue
derived from so-called matricular contri-
buttons. Now. every English statesman
who has made personal study Of the state
OF opinion In the British dependencies. has
admitted that neither Canada. nor South
Africa. nor the Australian colonies. nor
New Zealand. nor the West Indies would
agree to pay from their own revenues a
sum on account Of imperial defence proper
tional to their population. Why should
they. seeing that at present they do not
pay penny for that purpose? 1t is equally
certain that neither the Dominion OF
Canada nor any OF the Australian colonies
would do what the members Of the Ameri-
can Union did in 1879. namely. give up in
favor OF the central power the right to tax
imports. which they at present possess. In
deed. 1t Is we'll known that Canada would
refuse even TO tax British goods at a rate
lower than that imposed on similar Ameri-
can commodities. unless Great Britain in
return would discriminate to an equal ex-
tent In favor Of Canadian food products.
II Is when one examines the practical
conditions OF federation, conditions veri-
fled by past and actual experiments. that
the impossibility Of applying the principle
to the widely scattered sections Of the Brit
ish empire becomes patent. II the colonies
seem. on the whole. content with the pres
ent state OF things. it is because they do
not pay a penny to defend themselves
against foreign attacks; the whole burden
OF protecting them is assumed by the
United Kingdom. 1t is only in Canada. and
perhaps. We should add. the British West
Indies. that the British connection. as COM
pared with annexation to the United States,
imposes positive pecuniary loss upon the
colonists. Elsewhere the British DEEPEN
denotes have much TO gain and little or
nothing to lose by maintaining the existing
with the mother country. When.
however. the British artisans. operatives,
miners. and agricultural laborers make |
their voices heard in the House OF Commons.
and ask why they should be taxed in order |
to defend Australians or Canadians, the |
latter will answer that only on such terms |
can they perceive any profit in adhering to
the British empire.
Nobody has yet suggested a practicable |
scheme Of federation for the British empire. |
Until such project is put forward. the /
talk upon the subject should |
provoke Onlya smile from the young states
man who has emerged from Mr.. GLAD
shadow and taken into his own
hands the guidance OF public affairs.
|
Silica CoxeV'a Parade