The Washington times., 1901-11-13
orsu'st on Statement.
The Bubble of British Empire.

ton with recent expressions OF the Brit
ish press that a rather startling idea
is advanced. It is that, after all, the
domination Of India is not such q val
liable thing, that the Indian revenues
do not pay the cost to the British tax
payer of government, and that in gen
eral way, the game is not worth the
candle
why this pessimistic spirit should i'm
bue British writer's it is not easy TO
understand. We may admit their prem
ises and endorse their conclusions; but
it Is hard to believe that with the past
in India behind them, they could arrive
at such a state of mind. What is il,
let US ask. that renders leading Eng
Iish journalists despairing of the fu-
ture OF the Empire in India? is it that
the Government has lost the ability to
preserve the balance OF power between
the Mohammedan and Hindu popu-
laticns? That has been the safeguard
Of British rule to this time ever since
the Sepoy rebellion. Is it that the wise
people Of England are looking for
surprise? The tenure of England in
India is perhaps largely dependent upon
native confidence that their rulers rep
resent great and unassailable power
There is a possibility that the story of
the South African war has perineated
India. and that the natives have heard
that thirty thousand farmers and herd
ers have successfully met two hundred
thousand Britishers. If that idea has
gotten abroad in the Indian presiden-
cies, the danger is that it may lead to
results of a grave character.
The world has seen its political map
changed so often in the last century
that its people could not be much sur
prised were it to be recolored again
within the next decade or two. 1t may
be true that India is not a paying "a
vestment for England. Granting that, it
is all the more significant that Rus
sia is pressing upon the borders of Af-
ghanistan, and rivals if it does not
override British influence in Cabul. The
Colossus of the North, determinedly
bent upon the control and possession of
Asia, is patient but always ready to
take advantage of an opportunity to
salIvate her old rival and enemy It
counts for nothing that the princes and
princesses of the Hanover dynasty
know and perhaps love the Gar Mich
olas IL He is the helpless creature of
great national policy which has de-
scended to him through generations
Personally he might wish to be friend
ly with England. Actually his life
would not be worth a moments pur-
chase, were he to go counter to the
manifest destiny of his family and
his people.
Time was when England dominated
the policy and international relations
of Persia. She does so no longer. Rus
sia is the power paramount at Teheran.
The Shah is as much the creature of
the Russian Foreign Office as is the
Khan Of Bokhara, if the Muscovite has
left a Khan there. And England has
lost the dominating influence She once
held at Constantinople. Her last and
only strong fOothold is in Egypt How
long shall she be permitted TO hold that
unchallenged? II is a grave question,
since upon the answer may depend the
integrity and potency of the British
Empire.
The United States is not an uninter-
ested observer of these world-tenden-
cies. Much as we have reason 10 dis
like England on account Of her i'll
treatment of US in the past, it is, new
ertheless. true that Blood is thicker
than water. and that We should not
like to see the mother country reduced
to the condition OF a second-class pow
er. 1t is probable that We should suf-
fer by such u change. II is almost Ger
tain that it would make the burden Of
enforcing the Monroe Doctrine against
Europe more onerous than otherwise il
might be. But We must look facts and
conditions in the face. The British EN-
pire IS in peril. its military rottenness
has been wofully exemplified. It's
naval strength great as it may appear
on paTer is matter subject to Test.
We do not say IL y probable. we do
sag ii is possible that before many
years have passed and gone, the sea
and land power Of the Anglo Saxon
race may depend upon the ability OF
tie United states to maintain them.
Heretofore, in contemplating future
eyentUaHrics we always haze based ouI
calculations on the dominating world
power II Great Britain. We cannot
longer afford 10 do SO. Great Britain
or rather Greater Britain. shows in
dubiJasle signs Of going in pieces. II
brh9oyes the United States TO prepare
for what might follow such a poitical
catac!ysu.