The Washington weekly post., 1899-10-24
AUSTRALIAN UNION.
l. Being Formed an Integral aud k'ndur-
ing Member Of the Empire.


Fru- tAs Ses Ysrk Tribune
Before the end Of this waning century
the United States of Australia-it is a
pity We cannot yet say "of Australasia" !"
but that viii come with tfme-wil1 be an
established fact That now seems TO be
assured beyond all reasonable doubt. Five
colonies have now definitely committed
themselves to the scheme These are New
South Wales. Victoria. South Australia.
Queensland and Tasmania on popular
vote each has given decisive majority
for union. and row their legislatures are
adopting and forwarding TO the Queen
that OF New South Wales has already
done so-addresses praying for royal as
sent This latter will Of course be prompt
~ granted And so a few months hence
at latest will see the Federal government
organized and 4 new nation Of five -four
ishing States will be developed for the
glory and might of the British empire.
For it is "a an integral and enduring
member Of that empire that the United
States of Australia is being formed There
is. so far "a can he discerred. no thought
of making this a step toward separation
from the mother country. On the con-
trary. there seems to be a general feel
Z
be more firmly united with the rest OF the
empire than they have been in their
separate condition. The union is a step
| toward closer and more iHdissolEble union
with the mother country Nor is that in
the least Illogical Precisely the same
thing has occurred in Canada Despite
all tie talk there has been about annexa-
| ton IF Canada TO the United States, the
sober fact iu b1f ID -. -. -
more British than ever before, and is far
| more inclined to remain British and far
! less inclined to seek admission to this
Union than were the separate provinces
prior to 1867. The interprovinciaI animos-
tiles which used TO prevail were forces
that tended not only to separate the COLO
nies from each other, but also to separate
them from the mother country. The CEN
tripetal force which now holds them to-
gether in one nation also holds them close
| and fast to the mother country, just as
| the force which holds planet as an in
tegral mass on its own axis is akin to or
| identical with the force that holds 1t in
| its orbit round the sun
There is no cause for us to regret this
| loyalty of Canada to the British empire
| nor will there be TO regret the ike loyal
4 - Va NiiE I OlllCu CLdNGS VI AuStEdIId. Nn
| the contrary, ii is in each case a distinct
benefit to US and to the world The Brit
ish empire as a world encircling whole is
a more potent force for progress and for
peace than would be the half dozen in
dependent nations into which il might be
divided II is practically a self-evident
| truth that the fewer independent powers
there are the fewer are the chances for
war. A few great powers are far more
likely TO keep the peace than are many
| small ones. Thus We may reckon the
German empire positive force for peace
Ii II had not been formed in 1871, and If
all the German states had remained
separate in their international relations
there would probably have been half
| dozen wars in Europe within these last
| twenty-eight years. So on that one
ground of the maintenance of peace, as
we'll as on Others of comparable import
| ance, the preservation of the British en-
| pire is earnestly to be desired Its disso-
luton would be one of the greatest catas-
| trophies the world has known in thous-
and years
The establishment of this new nation in
the South Sea is of pecuia, interest to
| this country. That is partly because of
our own great territorial possessions and
our great and growing commerce in that
quarter of the globe-circumstances that
will make Australia as close neighbor
to US as Canada now is. 1t is also partly
because the United States of Australia is
! modelling its organization and its institu-
tions after our own more closely than
any other nation in the world has done
That Canada did just me opposite avoid
ing our example as far as possible, was
| only natural, seeing that the most potent
element in her political and social consti-
| tuition was composed of those or the i'm
mediate descendants of those, who left the
United States in 1776 and In 1872 rather
than be separated from or placed in an
tagonism to Great Britain-a not only
negatively but positively anti-United
States element With Australia the case
| Is otherwise. There has never been there
any antagoniSm toward this country but
quite The contrary; and so, naturally. the
United States of Australia is being made
as much like the United States of America
in fact and principle as in name. In its
consurnmation We may well wish il ali
success, and hope. too. that the adjoining
| West Australia and the distant but not
too remote New Zealand will soon decide
to join the union. making its members
seven instead of five, and making IL the
United States. not merely of Australia
hUf of AuStrQ Ia cia