New-York tribune., 1897-08-10
IOLlTICAL EPILOGUES.
FAILURE OF THE JUBILEE CONFER
ENCEs-MR. CHAMBERLAINs VIM
DICATION FROM INCREDIBLE
CHARGES-A STUDY IN
PARTISANSHIP


PARTIsANsHIP.
London. July 81.
This 4. week Of political epilogues. The
curtain has been rung down upon spec
tsce. farce and serious drama. The lines have
been repeated with suitable byplay. and before
the lights are put out the play Is summed Up,
and the moral. IL there be one. Is pointed the
faded and lstIess audience is then at liberty
70 decide whether 1t has been adequately enter
tained or whether the time has been wasted
The text Of the prosiest epilogue appears In
THE Standards epitome Of the recent confer
ences Of Mr. Chamberlain with the Colonial
Premiers II serves to emphasize the fact that
the Jubilee was spectacular melodrama pure
and simple The pageants have passed the
revels OF loyalty have ended and the greatest
question Of English politics Imperial Federation
remains unsolved. The Colonial Premiers. IN
vested with the new dignity OF membership IN
the Privy Council. have held series OF con-
sul;ations with the Secretary for the Coionles'
and nothing has been done. On the fundamen-
tai question Of arranging for the representation
Of the Colonies in the Imperial Parliament MT
Chamberlain had nothing more practical TO sug-
gest than the proposal TO have Coioniai mehoers
OF the House Of Lords The Premiers, with
one consent warned him that the time was not
ripe for political union and that premature
action would be fatal to the cause Of Imperial
Federation Representation in the House or
lords would mean that the Colonies would have
70 submit sooner or later to Imperial taxation;
and as they could not hope TO be allowed 10
send a sufficiently large number OF representa-
tives 10 exert any influence, the connection
would become irksome and probably endanger
the relations Of the Mother Country and her de-
tendencies So the conferences closed without
any action whatever being taken in the direction
Of an Imperial political system.
On all minor questions these conferences were
equally inconcusive The First Lord OF the Ad-
miralty made no effort to obtain larger con-
tributions from Australia to the support or the
navy. and desired nothing except the mainten-
ance Of the present agreement The gift OF
batte-ship from Cape Colony was an isolated
act which could only be interpreted as special
Jubilee offering. The Colonies, being confronted
with immense expenditures in developing their
territories were unwilling to bind themselves to
systematic support of the Imperial navy. The
conference left the Pacific cable scheme in mid
air New South Wales, Queensland and New-Zea-
land bejnx alone prepared to subsidize 1t, and
the Home Government preferring to allow the
Eastern Extension Company to lay cable from
West Australia to Mauritius. connecting thence
With the Cape Of Good Hope The investment
Of trust funds in Colonial Government securities
was discussed without result, and Mr. Chamber
lain could make no definite promises respecting
the restriction Of alien immigration. There
was indeed, only one question respecting which
the Colonial Premiers were in accord among
themselves; and they speedily found that Mr.
Chamberlain was not prepared to commit the
Government to the action which they desired.
IMPERIAL PROBLEMS UNsOLvED.
This was the expediency Of denouncing and
repudiatng commercial treaties with the most
favored nation clause. Sir Wilfrid Laurier was
supported by every other Colonial Premier in
his argument that such treaties stood directly
IN the way Of reciprocity between the colonies
and Great Britain, and that they should not be
allowed to interfere with the operation of pref
erential schedules like those recently enacted in
Canada The Premiers united in declaring that
Il was inconsistent with the principle OF SELF
government that the Colonies should be made
parties to such treaties compulsorily. Mr.. Cham
terlain was not able TO give them any assurance
that the Government would take the same view
OF the matter. Indeed. the impression left on
the minds Of most Of the Premiers was that the
treaties would not be denounced On the other
hand, they would not agree among themselves
on any common basis Of reciprocal trading The
Canadian method Of giving preference 10 Eng
land without receiving quid pro quo was not
considered practicable by the Australian and
other Premers There were sharp divergencies
OF opinion when the question of commercial
reciprocity within the Empire was raised.
This epiogue is a disappointing one for en-
thusiasts who expected that the jubilee "ouiu
promote the establishment Of close relations
administrative military, naval and commercial.
among the various sections OF the Empire
Every suggestion has been met with a dreary
and disheartening assurance that nothing can
be done The colonies honor the Queen ana are
loyal 10 the Motherland, but they are in dread OF
Imperial Federation a scheme which VIII rem
der them liable TO taxation while II will not arm
them with real political power. They do not
covet the privilege of being outvoted in some I'M
perial representative body. nor are they anxious
70 nav the costs in taxes for ships and fortihca-
tions. They cannot agree upon any definite
scheme of commercial union, and shrink from
making any engagements which will tie their
hands God Save the Queen" has resounded in
every portion Of the Empire. and there has been
"a carnival Of loyal sentiment; but the final re-
frain of the Jubilee conferences is Non possu-
mus" The Queen is loved and honored through
out her worldwide Empire but Imperial Fed
Grafton is question that is hopeless from its
magnitude and intrcacy and Mr.. Chamberlain
and the Premiers can only agree TO let it alone.
END OF A FARCE
The epilogue 10 the South African farce which
has been running at Westminster since the
opening Of the year was spoken by Mr.. Cham
berlain last night at the end Of haf-hearted
debate with the Opposition divided. The In
vestgation had been neither thorough nor use
full but il had involved the exposure ot dis
creditable millionaire conspiracy and sentence
OF condemnation passed upon the once-power-
full Premier Of Cape Colony. The Opposition.