Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-22
R0SEBERY'S DREAM
OF A VAST EMPIRE

Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. l6-Tho
Earl Of Rosehery was Installed as lord
rector Of Glasgow University to-day.
His rectorial address on the sui iect Of
1.-THE British Empire'' was q stirring
appeal to the race to realize the respon,
sibilities and TO prepare to fight for Its
existence. Never, said his lordship, did
the empire SO urgently require the
strenuous support of it's subjects, be-
cause there was disposition abroad to I
challenge both its naval and its COM
mercial supremacy. The Twentieth \
Century, he declared, would be q 4
peliod Of keen, intelligent and almost \
tierce international competitions, more
probably in the arts Of peace even than
IN the arts of war. Therefore, 1t was
necessary to undertake periodical stock
taking to remodel the State machinery
and educational methods, and to be-
come more busnesslike and thorough J
as warriors, merchants and Statesmen,
and to look thoroughly to the training
Of first rate men for the struggle ahead,
as on these depend the future OF the
empire and the race. He thought that
the now antiquated methods 81 train
ing had almost resulted in commercial
disaster, and the time bad arrived to-
reconsider the education apparatus.
Lord Rosebery asserted that but forI
the small incident Of the acceptance OF.
a peerage the empire might have beanl
intellectually greater. Had the elderI
Pitt, when he became first minister,
not left the House of Commons, hel
would probably have retained his sanity
and authority, and he would have pre-
vented or suppressed the Reckless
budget OF Townshend, induced Georgel
III 10 listen to reason, introduced rep-l
resentatives of America into Parlia-l
ment and preserved the thirteen Ameri-
can colonies to tho British Grown.
Is it fanciful to dwell for q momenti
| tipued Lord Rosebery. "The ReformI
bill of 1889 would probably have been
passed much earlier, for the new blood
! of America would have burst thu old
vessels of the Constitution. 1t would
have provided a self adjusting systeml
| OF representation, such as now prevails
in the United States, whereby the in
creasing population is proportionatslyl
represented.
And at last, when the Americana
became a majority OF the seats, the en-
pire would, perhaps, have been moved
solemnly across tho Atlantic, and Brit,
| ain would have become historical
shrine, tho European outpost of the
world empire. What an extraordinary:
revolution it would have bpenl The
greatest known, without bloodshed, thei
most sublime transferrence of power in.
the history Of mankind.
"Our conceptions can scarcely pio- \
ture the procession across the Allan id
CT the greatest sovereign and the'
greatest feet 10 the universe. ministsrs,A
governments and Parliament departing2
solemnly for another hemisphere.
''Not as in the case OF the PortuguuseH
aorerei9ns, emigrating to Brazil under
tho spur of necessity, bur under ths'
vigorous embrace OF tho younger world,
America would have hung ON to tho
skirts of Britain and pulled her baol1]
out of European complications. SHE'D
would have profoundly affected herr
foreign policy in the direction OF peace,
and her influence on her domestic.
rollcy would have been scarcely les4
potent.
Probably she would have appeased2
and even contented Ireland. Tho
ancient Constitution of Britain would
have been rendered more comprehen 4
siye and more elastic. &#HSp
ION the othes hand, the American
yearning for liberty would have talked
a different form; would have blended
with other traditions and fioated into.
other moulds. Above all, there would
have been no separation, no War Of In
dependence, no War OF 1879, with al
the bitter memories these have left id,
America. To secure that priceless.
boon | could be satisfied to see d
British Federal Parliament sitting i'd
Columbia torritory.''