The Hawaiian gazette., 1897-03-12
BRITA|N'S POLICY
Colonial Secretary Cham.
berlain Expands 1t.
Develop New Territory AS 1t is
Acquired on Civilized
Basis.

In a speech at Birmingham, Eng,
November 10, 1896, Mr.. Chamberlain,
Colonial Secretary, said:
81 should be perfectly prepared to
admit that if other nations would only
stand aside it might have been wiser
that we should have proceeded more
gradually, that we should have devel-
oped the countries that we already pos
sessed before seeking this vast extern
sion. But there was no appearance of
such an inclination on the part of other
nations l can truly say that we were
not the first or the most eager to move;
but if we had remained passive what
would have happened? Is it not as
certain as that we are sitting here that
the greater part of the continent of
Africa would have been occupied by
our commercial rivals, who would have
proceeded, as the first act of their pol
icy, to close this great potential mar
ket to British trade? Let me make one
remark here, the proper consideration
| of which would, think, do very much
to modify that jealousy with which
undoubtedly foreign nations regard
our extension. My remark is this
That we, in our colonial policy, as fast
as we get new territory and develop
it, develop it as trustees of civilization
| for the commerce of the world. We of
| fer in all these markets over which our
| flag floats the same opportunities, the
same open field to foreigners that we
| offer to our own subjects, and upon the
same terms.
| And in that policy we stand alone
because every other nation, as fast as
it acquires new territory-acting above
| all in the interest of the countries thai
they administer-every other nation
| seeks at once to secure the monopoly
for its own products by preferential
| and artificial methods. Under these cir
| cumstances, | say, it was a matter o.
life and death to us that we should
| not be forestalled in these markets
of the future to which we may have
learned to look for the extension O
our trade, and even for the subsistence,
of our people, and in considering thu
results of our policy, | think we Brit
ons-I must not say Englishmen, be
cause my Scotch friends would think
was excluding them from a field indeet
in which they have taken even NOR,
than their fair share-but l say tha
the results of our policy are results
upon which we Britons can look bacl
with satisfaction. 1t is interesting Il
notice that we alone have been success
full in making these acquisitions prof
| table. Every addition to the colonia
possessions of France or of German,
adds Immediately, and continues t,
add, to the latest date, a heavy burden
upon the taxpayers of the mothe
country. Whereas in our case all on
colonies and territories are either self
supporting from the first or becom
self-supporting in very short space O
time, the French colonies and the Ger
nan colonies seem somehow or other t
rail to attract any commercial and civ
r iliaD population. l think the recent OF
fetal returns of the German Empir
show that in their colonies, which ex
tend over more than a million squar
: miles, there are less than zoo ciyilia
Germans-less, in fact, than there ar
, of that nationality in many of our ow
colonies. While in the foreign colon
les no population from the mothe
! country is attracted, in our colonies W
find that settlement proceeds gaily, an
they take off all our most adventul
t GUS spirits and relieve us of some c
our surplus population. And l think
may go further and say that this sys
TEN, while it is certainly satisfactor
to ourselves, is productive of advant
j. ages to the people over whom we exel
else control. 1t is said that you cannC
r make omelettes without breaking egg
n You cannot exercise control over say
age countries which previous to yot
). | arrival have been in a state of constaI
r anarchy and disorder without occasion
ally coming into conflict with the
savage rulers and having to shed SON
blood; but | say that universally it h;
proved to be the case that after
, time we have secured the pacificatic
: of the country, we have put an end
t the tribal conflict which has previous
: interfered with progress, we have
stroyed those slave-raiding expedition
which have been fatal to commend
and we have secured the permane
a. improvement of the country and Il
t increase of the population. Now tn
tie is statement which 1 believe appli
is universally to all the new acquisition
which we have made on the contine
of Africa, and l cannot help thinkil
that it justifies even that large exte
y sion of territory which has been fore
to upon US"