Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-04-03

Dublin, March 18.-"What shall
we do to be saved ?" is question
asked by the author of a brilliant
article in the Fortnightly Review.
The writer is not Irish, nor is his
anxiety caused by any danger racial,
social or economic, threatening this
island home of ours. Quite the con-
trary. His is the voice of an Eng
lish Cassandra, and the fear occa-
stoned by the marvellous progress
made by the United States and Ger
many in seemingly irresistible in
roads upon British trade and manu-
facture enters his soul and brings to
his affrighted vision picture of the
coming downfall of the British EN-
pire.
The failure of Britain to keep the
premier in the worlds industrial
progress is no more evident at this
chronological epoch than is the
manifest decadence of England as a
successful ruler of subject races.
Her reputation is doomed to suffer
more in this department of her i'm
perial ambitions than in that of her
trading record. Nor is the recent
Inauguration of the Australian COM
monwealth any proof against this
proposition. 1t is just the reverse.
The Australians are not in any
sense, save in a sentimental one, a
a subject nationality, and their
newly acquired sovereignty, in
everything except in name, is that
of an Australian republic. AS a
matter of fact, the new constitution,
with its federal principles and State
organizations, is borrowed not from
the mother country's boasted insti-
tutions, with their reputed guardian
ship of popular freedom and enlight-
eminent, but from the example of
other colonies which federated a
hundred years ago by the more
drastic means of successful revolu-
tion. Australian ideas of govern
ment are, in fact, thoroughly Ameri-
canized, and the new century is as
certain to see the birth of an Austria
lian republic in the Southern seas as
it is to witness other rational depar-
lures from monarchial mummeries
in the rule of nations.
1t is in India and in Ireland where
England's failure to govern wisely OF
successfully is most apparent. Moth
ing but the political imbecility OF
English methods of administration
can account for such antics as are
carried on in both countries under
the name Of government. The peo-
pie of India are far more civilized
than portions of the people of Eng.
land. They have higher natural
culture, are more attached to land
industries than the British, and are
consequently more socially conserva.
tive and more amenable to just laws
Yet, though the English have forced
their domination upon these people
for now more than two hundred
years, there are not as many voters
to-day among the whole 200,000,O00
of Indian British subjects for all and
every form of rule, from the governor
generals legislative council TO city
corporation, as there is on the roll OF
electors for the single city Of New
York.
The tax levied on the salt of these
British subjects is over 200 per cent
of the articles intrinsic value, and
instead of prudently expending that
and other revenue upon means for
coping with periodical droughts and
consequent appalling famines, the
"ablest rulers in the civilized world,'
as some of your American writers
will persist in labelling Englishmen.
waste this money in military plans
and preparations against the imagi-
nary danger of a Russian inroad
upon the Northwestern frontier
And it is from this criminal inca
pacity to rule such a nation wisely
and justly has come the horrible
spectacle Of 100000 of civilized
people suffering the pangs of hunger
during the past eighteen months
while their British governors were
exponding s5OO,OOO,OO0 in war tc
obtain the franchise for Uitlanders
in South Africa
How did these model English
rulers begin tho century he,s in
Ireland In my last letter l related
how Nationalists had resolved tc
commence it. Well, our enemies
were equal to the occasion. They
were in evidence on the 1st of Janu
cry, 1901, with a royal proclamation