Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-18
TIGHTENING THE HOLD
Suggestive Admission Re-
garding Control of Colonies.
PORTRAIT DISAPPEARS
YOUTHFUL PRODIGY AsroN1sHEs
LONDON ART CIRCLES.
Autumn Exhibition Of Artists Contains
Many Interesting Works-Puccini
and His Opera.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
LONDON. November 5, 1904
The project which Sir Frederick Pollock,
fer twenty years corpus professor OF juris-
prudence at Oxferd. puts forward in the
Times, under the title OF Imperial Organ
ization" Is one that is well worth attentive
consideration. 1t is the first admission on
the part Of an Englishman Of prominence
Of the desirability OF tightening the legisla
tive hold OF the imperial authorities on the
colonies, belief that is silently gaining
much strength In Great Britain.
Objections will be found to it. no doubt:
but there is much to be said In it's favor,
and the adva ntages seem to outweigh most
Of the objections that may be suggested.
Sir Frederick and the friends he has with
him in the enterprise Whose names are not
given. but we are told that they belong to
various parties in domestic politics." and
that they are men whose individual opin-
ions are entitled to carry weight'D, wish to
see established committee of the privy
council for imperial affairs. including the
best possible representatives of colonial
knowledge and opinion, and the calling into
existence, If it should be found necessary
of further power of summoning colonial
premiers and other specially qualified per-
sons to attend meetings of the cabinet on
matters in which general imperial orsaniza-
ton is involved.
1t is said of the proposed system that 1t
would in effect provide an intelligence
department for the civil affairs of the en-
pre-, and 1t could also be used for 1.-The
establishment of single final court Of
appeal for the united kingdom and the en-
pre- The proposed committee. 1t is sug-
gested. should be kept quite apart from
the existing defense committee ard the
questions which would come before the
imperial committee would be those relating
to foreign and commercial policy and the
numerous matters in which it is desra BILE
that organization and legislation in differ
ent parts of the empire should be Of har-
monlous character, e.g.. merchant shipping
copyright, Naturalization. admission Of
aliens marriage, etc" But, no doubt, the
functions of such body, If IL were found
to work successfully, would grow. If not
1t could be dropped; for the general state
ment outlining the scheme which accom-
panies Sir Frederick,s letter points out that
the experiment might be begun on mod
est scale; If it failed to justify itself no
harm would have been done. At the very
WORST, the negative experience obtained
would be of some value If, on the other
hand, it succeeded, the results might be
greater than any man now living can
foresee."
Advantages Of the Scheme
Such scheme has the advantage of
largeness. and the additional merit, so far
as the first appearances go, of be-
ing unlikely to arouse any party passions
OF prejudices. But 1t is,of course in a
somewhat nebulous stage at present, and
whatever difficulties attach to i: would
probably not make themselves apparent un-
til the details came to be filled In. The
newspapers, in discussing the matter say
that one thing that would have to be most
carefully looked after would be the preser-
walton intact of the full responsibility of
MS ma)esty's home government. and Of
n nf bivJc l>a
lowed to weaken that in any way, and that
perhaps would prove one OF the most for
midabie difficulties which the trainers of
the scheme would have to encounter The
idea will undoubtedly come into force SOON
er or later. and 1t may be the forerunner
of much greater things in the way of ex-
tending the sway of the British parliament
over the colonies.
Within week several leading statesmen
on both sides have committed themselves to
the opinion that there will be a general
election next year This was not exactly
the view entertained at Westminster Just
before the close of the session, when good
many people predicted that the government
having survived SO many pitfalls, would
held on for nearly two years longer. At
that time, however, the radicals were suf
ferng from extreme depression as the re-
suit of the miscarriage of all their plans
for wrecking the ministry. while the sup
porters of the government were proportion
ately elated.
Now both sides are able to take a calmer
view OF the political situation and the con-
sensus of opinion seems to be that the APP
peal to the country will come before very
many months are over. To this conviction
We may attribute the cautious effort of Mr..
AsQuith a few days ago to Indicate the
main lines of a liberal-constructive pro-
gram This does not seem to have reused
much enthusiasm in the philosophic breast
of Mr. Haldane, but he, too. Is sufficiently
impressed with the signs of the times to
recognize the necessity of the liberal party
going to the country on something stronger
than string of negations. 1t remains to
be seen whether the rival leaders, including
Lord Rosebery. will be able to agree on
common program. but 1t is significant that
there are rumors of a concentrated attack
on the house of lords.
Mysterious Disappearance.
The mysterious disappearance from the
National Portrait Gallery of Plimer's mini
allure portrait of Baron Thomas Dimsdale
o,.1x roiSa a G n fhn