The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-05
xusTR-s1rA,s sP1R1r.
vat Irsat or tbs rSrs,iers. qsys an Australian,
ont That or Our Repusiic.

L uSt fhne OF tire FENuiterns Nbyn m huutrnItnus
out THAT OF Our Republic.
w~AsulSoroS, Sops. A-Tristram DunmauRh,
q rich Australian of English parentaEe, was at
q Washington hotel this woek. He Is on his
way 10 England for his hrst visit there. This
Australian expressed some rather novel Ideas
while here. He Ia n middlc.agcd man, who
looks, talks. and acts like an American. Some
Americans whom he met asked him about this.
"Wo'ro not English out In Australia any more
than you people in The States are" he replied.
We're Australians just as much as you are
Americans. A good many Americans to whom
Two been introduced since arriving in San
francisco have apparently fancied they were
complimonting mo aud dong the polite by order.
Ing their conversation as II | were an English.
man. They were entirely wrong. all of them.
1t doesn't please me 20 be taken for an English.
man simply because l hail from Australia You
can't tAhy any Australian of the second genera.
tion by indicating that you take 1t for granted
that he 10 an Engilshman; and Auatralians of
he second and up TO tho hfth generation are
the blood and Drawn and brains OF Australia,
Tho raw, just-arrivcd BnRlishman has not been
a factor In Australian Affairs for q number OF
years, 1t takes a generation or so for the spirit
Of Australian hustle to work itself into the
English frame. My own father, for instance.
was a pretty capable Englishman. but the high.
est mark he set for himself when he struck Aus.
! tralia was to teach in n boys school. Ho did
nothing else up TO tho tlue he died. Inherited
his frame and some Of his ability, but none OF
| his dih'dcncc, for ! had tho advantage Of breath.
ing tho get-up- and .stir-around atmosphere OF
| Australia from my birth. Otherwise, pcrhaps,
/ wouldn't have got q Job as n station keeper ON
Q sheep ranch; and II l had inherited all my
fathers ability. without Ia wing been born in al
environment where the race is not so much for
! tho ,tron,, an for tho swift ~ Ia NOT 1iLelv TINT I
would possess, as I do to-day, the ranch upon
which l first worked as a station keeper, and
half a dozen other ranches adjoining 1t.
II only employ my own case. you Will undor
stand, for the purpose OF illustrating my point,
I which 10 that tho native-born Englishman must
uniearn q great many things before he can DO
conspicuously successful IN any new country,
especially In Australia. and that OF the mon who
have made anythin9 OF themselves In Australia.
q good eight out OF ten are OF Australian ma
tivity. Nor by any means are all OF thess Of
English parentage or descent During tho last
three decades there has beon q strong infusion
Of German and Scandinavian blood III Australia,
/, and the second generation Of these people has
become n factor that must DO considered IN Aus
tralian business and politics In bsiet. although
Australia 10 not yet quite so cosmopolitan ss
the United States. l think It "a likely to become
80 within tho next twenty or thirty yearS. Amor
! leans do wei. In Australia, II they are the right
kind of Americansi and there are prosperous
! Australians from tho United Statea In numbers
all over the continent.
But to get back TO the main point, tho spirit
a naslGaAii L IS IS a lifSsGdty e scS~ins 5h po%erfsls
There has not as yet hecn organized any united
Sepsrs t party sn Sut ne there VII s. 90 WITHIN ne re
seed was long since sown. and u has a very fer;
tile soil IN which to sprout. Although the hand
with which England governs Australia through
the colonial Government is Of the most veivety
order. l think there IS preponderating sentt-
reason any longer exists for Great Britain
to concern itself governmenta!ly with Aus:
! tralia at oil. Australia is now a great deal
better fitted to manage her own affairs than the
thirteen States were when they gave England
way, we Australians are pretty fe miliar with.
Australia, OF course, has no such grievances
against England as he thirteen States had-no
that. But a very large aud high.Erade element
Of the Australian population, composed, too. for
lish descent, began TO chare ia long rs twenty
yeara ago ovor the ebsurdity that their enor.
ernmentN regulation, whatsoever at the hands
Of q litt.s country at the cher end Of the world,
| spect as m ancestor. but not as master.
Americans seem to have been deluded into
ccmensed Australia 10 tho skirts OF England for
all time, and that the maudliu scntimentality OF
dinner gave absolute assurance OF the success Of
Chamberlain 3 mighty colonial dream. Nothing
could DO further from tho truth. A great ma
jority OF Australians did not approve OF the
Australian Prcmicr,s .cocksure phrases deliv-
cred at the Chamberlain dinner, and those who
did not read this misrepresentation in silence
read 1t with Laughter. 1t Was doubtless all very
sublime and stirring. this renewal Of the
| Iremier's vows at the foot OF the throne, but, as
fur as the grandiloquent phrases of the Aus
tralian Premier at that dinncr are concerned, he
simply did not represent e great majority Of the
Australian people, ror come within an oceans
width OF vo?cing their IDEAS.
"1don't know how can state tho matter
| more lvle1V than nv saving Tint evan The NtnQt
not without hope. for tho eventual establish
ment in Australia of n government precisely
Ike that Of lla republic OF The United States Ia
every essential feature. The tenIper of tho
Australian people Is republican. / have OBJ
served for many years past tho gradual dlminu-
ton In volume Of tho chorused God Save tho
ers Of Rule Britannia in Australia nowadays
are generally young fellows. just out from Eng
land, perhaps three parts drunk. Australians
take a very great interest In American affairs.
tell me that Australians know a great
deal more concerning American %institu.
lions and what goes on in Tho United
etaies TIN 90 hSH =. IN my opinion. ono
very distant future. eitherl Is nrBt the Austria.
Ian republic and Then q sort OF friendly alliance
OF the Australian renubli" with Inc republic OF
set tho rest OF the world 10 th!nlsingi Such an
alliance would, l think. be Of value 10 tbs United
States for MANY moro tcRsons than tho mere
sIons. and 1t woull be Of inestinable commercial
advantage 10 both countries. II the lrst five
years OF the century suon TO herin DO not witness
at least the initial stops toward tho formation OF
properly the political Sentiment OF tho people
among whom have spent my entire life"
EXCELSIOR