Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-29

Ties Of the of the imperial party In
campaign already begun to
drive the anti-imperialst
party from power. England. 1t Is assert
ed. has arrived at the parting OF the
ways in government. where she must
choose between the empire or suffer dis
location: either become federation of
colonies constituting great states of the
empire or suffer separation which re-
duces her to The narrow limits of king
dom.
The Keynote of alarm has been sounded
by such convinced partisans of imperial
ism as Lord Curzon of Kedleston and
Lord Cromer of Khartoum. The argu-
ments used in the forum and the press
are flattering and captivating to the
masses, which to a great extent belleve
in the sentiment that might makes
right" The apostles Of imperialism point
to the actual storm signals-unreSt in In
dia, an increasing spirit of independence
in Australia. New Zealand. South Africa
and Canada Egypt. too. although an au-
tonomous state has suffered a British
military occupation since a quarter or
century. and is now regarded as I'M
grateful and mutinous." The conclusion,
the moral of the imperalist. is that the
empire alone may save England from ais
integration and the hopeless limits or the
kingdom Such is the opening argument
of the imperialist. 1t will be seen now
the prime minister and Mr.. Morley, more
directly challenged, will present the case
foi the people.
Lord CurZon. as president or the pr
mingham and Midland Institute at Biz
mingham. on the 18th instant opened his
party's campaign. taking for his suoJect
1.-The True Impe rialism.
1t is interesting and instructive, as
showing the trend of the imperialist pol
-, to, ntrafG of H.
dress. which may be divided under the
following heads: The growth OF empire.
modern empires. the imperial and the
anti-imperial view. the spirit OF the EN-
pire CONNIE realism and Imperialism, the
policy Of imperialism: and hnaiiy the
moral basis of imperialism.
Lord Curzon avowed in the beginning
that he was "a convinced and unconquer-
able imperalist,'' who by the accident OF
events had been called upon to speno tne
whole of his working manhood IN tne
study or the service of the empire. ana
to whom Ii had come to be a secular re-
ligion, embodying the most sacred duty
of the present and the brightest hope for
the future.
He would show what empire meant
why it should sink deep in their hearts
and remain fervent though never boast
full on their tongues.
x
Under the growth of empire two the
ories were commonly cited to explain
certain conditions. The
Growth of , first affected to show that
the empire had been built
up by succession of
wicked and Inscriptions men: that en-
pire breakers were, as a rule, bad break
ers-"commandmen breakers" and. Sec
y. s-l,
speaker said he was so fortunate or I'M
fortunate as to belong-represented In
general a peculiarly dangerous type.
He said that Mr.. John Morley had writ
ten book in which he spoke of Warren
Hastings as great criminal and the
foundation of British dominion in India
as a long train of intrigue and crime.
No such case could be made out against
Warren Hastings or Give. and Lord
CurZon then enters upon panegyric OF
Give. in which the latter is made to ap-
pear as a great Englishrnan. whose devo-
ton to country had founded its power in
India.
Such rewriting of history tends to glori-
fly the British sentiment Of empire. so
grandly represented by Give. and the
eulogy is sustained, indeed. by Macaulay.
Lord Curzon may be trusted to hold up
the figure of Give to the admiring gaze of
his countrymen. joining to the act no little
personal feeling and resentment for en-
forced retirement from the governorship
of India as the result of the Curzon-
Kitchener conflict. confident in the strong
sympathy of his fellow-En glishmen and
government. too. for any man who has
been faithful or who has rendered the
state signal service.
Lord Curzon in the further development
of his theme described the empire as an
instinct and not an accident. IAN inerad
icable and divinely implanted impulse
which had sent the Englishman forth into
the uttermost parts of the earth and made
him there the parent of new societies and
the architect of unprecedented crea-
TONS:
Referring to modern empires. Lord Cur
ION asked: What was to be said of the
empire making phase upon which Amer
lea. the most democratic and hitherto the
least imperial Of all great countries. had
entered?" Lord Curzon expressed the be-
lief that at this moment "a poll of the
United States would show an overwhelm-
ing majority opposed to any concrete pol
icy of imperialism. but circumstances had
proved too strong for the Americans"
The same impulse that carried the
Americans early in the last century to the
Rockies and the Pacific now that the con-
tinent had filled up was drawing them
further to field. 1t had compelled them to
lay hands upon the Samoan and Sand
witch groups in the open Pacific. to assume
charge of Porto Rico. as they would ulti-
mately have TO assume charge of Cuba
to clutch at the ISthmus of Panama and
in the case of the Philippines to stretch
out their hands even to the shores of Asia
Political parties might denounca and the
more thoughtful Americans might deplore
the expansion. But he doubts If any
President. democratic or republican. would
come to Congress with message propos-
ing to revoke 1t. Was not the conclusion
inevitable that the country was merely
obeying a general law, and that Provi-
of the big battalions was now found to be
on the side of the big nations?"
h
Perhaps the people of the United States
might treat as serious these appropriations
of american instincts
Overseas with benefit because
they certainly conceal a
lesson.
Lord Curzon says that the lesson was
taught by Germany which had repudated
Bismarcks warning against overseas ad-
venture; by Italy which had scarcely
achieved national unity before she launch
ed forth into colonial expansion, and by
France, whose colonies are vast Japan
had likewise followed the same impulse.
And Lord Curzon concludes under the
head OF modern empires: If the doom Of
small nations had not sounded, at least
the day of great nations seemed to have
dawned."
The imperial and anti-imperial point of
view the speaker illustrated by quoting
L. l.