The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-14

ne hinR. anu not by lae people, OF the
United Kingdom. Hence tine allegiance
which the colonies owe 10 to the King alone.
The same thing is more emphaticslly true
Of the dependencies. The King OF England
is the Emperor OF India. and the members
Of the Government OF India are his SER
ants not the servants OF the British poo
pie. The fact that the Secretary Of State
for India In a member of the British Gov
ment does not make that Government
the sovereign Of the Anglo Indian Empire.
Although. an we have said. tho colonies
and dependencies are alike bound to the
mother country by the single tie OF allegi-
ance to the sovereign. Mr.. Meakin notes
an important difference in their relations
TO the ruling State. The Constitutions OF
the colonies. whether s~elf-governing or
Crown colonies so called. were given by
acts OF Parliament passed in exactly the
same way a. though they had been i'm
tended 10 confer local government on an
English county or borough. Before SELF
government was conceded the colonials
were ordinary British subjects. who were
bound by British laws. but as they had not
qualifications which gave them votes they
had no share in the British Government.
Instead Of giving the colonials self-govern-
ment the plan adopted by France might
have been employed. The colonies could
have been divided into electoral districts
and rave sent members therefor "a, Parlia-
ment. There was no legal reason against
such a plan. and no practical reason either.
since the distance between the mother
country and the colonies would have offered
no more Instructions to the application OF
a,.,b . .x,..~.x l.. skA ,aaA - Graat prttatU
than in that of France We see. then. that in
reality the Legislatures Of the colonies are
branches OF the Parliament Of Great Britain.
and not distinct Legislatures. The King
Of England. as part Of the British law max
ing power. established the branch Parlia-
ments. and in the acts creating them GER
tain powers we're reserved to the King.
These powers the sovereign has delegated
TO his British Ministers. and Il is they who
in practice supervise the legislation Of ths
colonies through the Kings veto.
In the dependencies, Of course the situa-
ton il different. Az these are mostly In
habited by subject races that are considered
incapable Of governing themselves there Ii
thought 10 he no injustice in taxing and r.l-
ing them without regard to their wishes. In
times when transit was very slow great
powers we're delegated to the Governors OF
those remote dependencies, powers which
we're limited only by those Of their councils
and by occasional Instructions from Great
Britain, instructions that could only he
transmitted very slowly. inasmuch a. there
were no telegraphs and a voyage to India
might occupys six months. Under the oircum-
stances il was a matter OF course that the
dependence upon London would be but
sligb' and the far distant Governors had 10
act Uuon their own discretion, even in the
most important matters. As time has gone
on the dependencies have received small
grants of local self-government. according
to the number n the nature Of their sew
sral populations, but in all important matters
they are ruled by Great Britain as though
they we're parts Of the United Kingdom.
Indeed. the discoveries Of steam and Of
telegraphy have made closer the relations
between that kingdom and it's outlying
dependencies. The Governors OF these
dependencies no longer enjoy SO wild a
discretion a. formerly they possessed. In
all important matters they now seek in
structions from London, and TO act with
out such instructions would provoke Sc
we're censure Every year the government Of
these transmarine dominions Ia more care
fully directed from Great Britain. and it has
in the end been found possible to rule efi-
ciently a country thousands OF miles away
from an Office in the British metropolis.
The control is generally limited, however,
to important matters, as the management
of local affairs throughout the empire is
considered a function belonging to the To-
caiity. This is true not only Of the Crown
Colonies so called, which exercise a partial
amount Of sels-government, but even Of the
provinces and minor territorial divisions Of
the Anglo-lndian Empire.