Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-07-21
IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT.
Argument of the Advocates Of This
System of Administration.


However costly, directly or indi-
rectly, an imperial system of admin
istration may be, its advocates find
redeeming feature in the advan-
tages to be gained through COM
mercial connection with colonies and
protectorates. If these dependencies
cannot contribute directly to the
maintenance of navy, or to the
current expenses of the home gov
eminent, they may at least yield to
the merchants and people the profits
Of a commerce and of a carrying
trade. The chief support of the inn
periai view, says Harper's Weekly,
has been arguments based upon
trade.
The most striking instance of COM
mercial enterprise has been the his
tory of Great Britain. The imports
into the United Kingdom, of mer-
chandise and bullion, in a single
year, are valued at 50, IT'S, 900, 900.
The exports are valued at 81, 1885,
600, 900. The total commercial
movement Of the United Kingdom in
normal year would be 50, 361, 000,-
600, or nearly double the commercial
movement of the United States in its
foreign trade. If we exclude the
precious metals, and confine our at
tention to merchandise, 1t is found
that less than one-fourth of the i'm
ports are received from British pos
sessions, including protectorates,
and little more than one-fourth
of the exports are sent to these pos
sessions. Taking the whole empire,
with an annual trade Of IS, 1856, 000,-
600, the United Kingdom enjoys
1915, 600, 900 with her colonies, or
about one-sixth. Assuming that the
net profit on the transactions con-
fined to the United Kingdom would
be five per cent. ON the value Of the
imports and exports, a return Of
about $50, 100000 would represent
the benefit Immediately obtained
from the trade Of the colonies. To
this must be added the freights on
the carriage Of goods, which would
be equivalent to another ten per
cent, making total Of 500, 000,-
600.
Great Britain has secured this
commercial ascendency by policy
which to other and competing coun-
tries has always seemed ruinously
liberal. The United Kingdom repre-
sents to-day the greatest of free
markets, and is the distributing
center for all Europe in raw ma
terials Of industry. AS distribu-
ting center its influence has waned,
for the tendency of modern COM
merce Is more and more towards d.
rect lines Of trade, rather than
through entrepot and distributing
ports. The same policy would have
been almost as efhcacious had Eng
land been without a colonial system,
provided what are now her colonies
had not fallen into the possession Of
other European powers, all too ready
to apply system Of differentisl
duties or of monopoly trade. It has
been suggested that England divide
her political responsibilities, giving
greater autonomy to India, and max
ing her new African possessions a
part Of great Indian empire. Such
a scheme has many political points
in its favor; and commercially it
would not affect the dominance Of |
English interests in the trade of the |
world, for England would still re-
main the great commission merchant
of the civilized world. To this her |
merchant marine, her banking IA
cilities, and her almost universal |
business connections have largely |
contributed, and will continue to
contribute.