The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1904-02-05
AMERICAN ANGLO NATION
What the History of the Brit
iSh Empire Might Have
Been.
Will the Eastern Countries Join
The United States in the
Near Future.

Could Benjamin franklin have had
his way when the Revolution began,
both Ireland and Canada would have
Joined the thirteenth colonies In their
revolutic n against England Had they
done so the history of the British Em-
pire during the nineteenth century
might have been far different from
what 1t Is. From Ireland, In a large
degree, came the soldiers and sailors,
the generals aud admiials. that bore
the British banner of victorious con-
quest In nearly every part OF the
world. From here. also, poured out
In great proportion the vast river OF
emigration that has helped to develop
Canada and built up a splendid com.
monwerlth In the Antipodes.
Under the far-seeing policy of
Franklin all this stupendous material
aid to England would have been i'm.
possible. AS an American State, Ire.
| land would have been a potent curb
on British military aggression, and
powerful rival OF England as a man
ufacturing centre. Her population
would have grown enormously, and
there would have been but one outlet
for it, namely. that to her sisters, not
her kin across the seas. What an
enormous difference ale this would
have made In the marvellous story OF
English progress, in the growth OF
her wealth and resources. must BE-
left to the imagination. With respect
to it only one thing IS certain, that
deprived of it, her place In the world
would not be what 1t Is to-day.
May not the idea OF Franklin on a
large scale. be yet realizsd. To be
more specific. is it beyond the range
OF international possibility that Ire
land, England, Scotland and Wales
should enter our system and become
components parts of the Union? l
know the que stion is academic, but
who can say that it may not come
within the domain of practical states
mauship at a not very remote pc
Rod?
Some one, if l am not mistaken,
predicted that King Edward would
close the roll OF the English morarchs
so rapidly is the settlement in favor
of the establishment of a republic
gaining ground. True, the news
papers gives no evidence OF so much
condition. but that Is no very
strong reason that it is nonresident
! The trades unions are said to be sat
urated with it, and the fact is notori-
Gus that the "sister isle," as she is
called, would welcome the abolition
OF the throne. Her influence Is, OF
course, Slight. but still, taken In con-
nection with the feeling of the Eng
lish working classes, 1t has its
weight.
But the most .oweIful q sdl%cgen-
Giles working in this direction Is the
industrial development, the all-con-
quering material march OF the I'm.
tied States toward the conquest OF the
maj kets OF the WORLD. When that Is
attained, what1 Characterization, even
if It Is successful, will DO not much
toward averting that impending ca
lamity to Euglands whole industrial
fabric. Again, 1t Is not true that the
British colonies or dependencies, are
held to the empire by lines which
would not bear very strong tension1
Is 1t not true that In Canada the spirit
of nationhood has been born, that q
very large proportion of her most
thoughtful citizens begiu to look for
ward to the time when she shall as
sumo the position of the second great
power in the Western Hemisphere
What about Australia? Is not she,
too, beginning to be FESTIVE under her
colonial bondage. slight though 1t be-
And then there Is the vast India EN-
pire. For independence Is out Of the
question, but 1t is almost certain that
some day there Is to be In 1t change
of masters, that she will pass from un-
der the predatory rule of the lion to
that of the bear. In this new century
events move fast. Look at Russia in
Chira, at the ascendency of Japan In
the far East, at the es ablishment OF
the Cuban republic, the expulsion of
Spain from her last foot of territory
IN the continent that she once con-