Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-17
WHAT ENGLAND MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Lord Rosebery Draws a FancifuI Pic
ture In Recent Snecch

The Earl of Rosebery was installed as
lord rector of Glasgow University yester-
day. His rectOrial address, on the subject
OF The British Empire" was a stirring
appeal to the race to realize its responsible
ties and to prepare to fight for its exist ence
Never. said his lordship, did the empire so
urgently require the strenuous support of
subjects, because there was a disposition
abroad to challenge both its naval and its
commercial supremacy.
Lord Rosebery asserted that but for the
small incident of the acceptance of a peer
age the empire might have been incalcula-
bly, greater Had the elder Pitt when he
became first minister. not left the house
OF commons he would probably have re-
tanned his sanity and authority, and he
"ouid nave prevented or suppressed the
reckless budget of Townsend, induced
George III to listen to reason, introduced
representatives of America into parliam
and preserved the thirteen colonies to the
British crown.
rs it fanciful to dwell for a moment on
what might have happened?' continued
Lord Rosebery. THE reform bill of 1899
would probably have been passed much
earlier, for the new blood of America
would have burst the Ole vessels of the
constitution. 1t would have provided
seif-adJustinS system of representation
such as now prevails in the United States
whereby the increasing population is pro-
portiOnately represented. And at last
when the Americans became IA majority of
the 50 ats, the empire would. Pc rhaps, have
been moved s0lemniy across The Atlantic
and The British would have hecom. a his
torical shrine the European outpost of the
world empire. What an extraordinary rev
oluticn il woU!d have been. the greatest
known. without blonGsh.l. til. most sub
lime transferren"e Of power in the history
OF mankind.
our concep, ION can scarcely picture the
procession across The ~ an;ic Of The great
est severe, Ign and ih,. greatest !lecl in the
universe. Minis er.'. governments and par
Lament depa4 unk -.ti-naly Tor another
hemisphere. Not. in the case of The
iorllSueSe s"vcTeigns, ei.lisra,ing 10 Bra
I'll under the spur of necessity, but under
the vigorous embrace of the Younger
world, America would have hung onto the
skirts of Britain and pulled her back out of
European complications. She would have
profoundly effected her foreign policy in
the direction of peace and her influence on
her domestic policy would have been
scarcely less potent Probably she would
have appeased and even contcnted ireland
The ancient constitution OF Britain would
nave been rendered more comprehensive
and more elastic.
"On the other hand the American vearn
ing for liberty would have taken a differ
ent form, would have blended with other
traditions and fioated into other molds
Above all, there would have been no sep
aration. no war Of independence, no war of
ISL. with all the bitter memories that these
have left in America. To secure that price
less boon | could be satisfied to see a Brit
ish federal parliament sitting in Columbia
territory"
When dealing with the awakening of
the nations during the last half century to
the necessity of colonizing Lord Rosebery
described the United States las sitting like
startled hen on brood of unnumbered
islands in the Philippine group