The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-17
THE, EMPIRE AND THE NAVY.
What Canada Think of the SaNavy PocSteps
Towards Complete INDEPENDENTLY Loyalty to the
MotherCountry Diminishing !?
By ntented iton n Daily Mail

1t is an astonishing fact how few
Britons particularly Englishmen) who
stay at home are alive to the fact that
the Navy is, de facto, the Empire on
which, as we are so proud of Boosting,
she sun never sets.
In Mr.. w. t Stead's admirable arti-
Gle, 1.-THE Hare and the Tortoise"
which appeared in the Overseas
"Dafy Mall" he started off by saying
that For the British Empire the ques-
ton of the Navy is so vital that it is
much to be regretted the great issues
before the world should have been OBJ
.cured" Perfectly true. But. as one
who has resided for twenty years in
the oversee States OF the Empire.
making a close study through their
press and their politicians of public
opinion in Australia, South Africa, and
Canada, I would venture TO suggest
that the great issues before the
world" which Mr.. stead refers to are
primarily great issues before the En-
pire. The world can take care of itself
if the Empire can.
TOWARDS COMPLETE INDEPEND-
ENCE.
And. as the British Empire has I'M
dertaken responsibilities such as no
other Empire recorded in history has
ever been saddled with. it canSonly rely
II 70 ha
faithfully carried out. Any sigh of
weakness or suggestion of reduction of
the Navy on the part of the Home Gov
ernment wbuld hasten the possible
ultimate secession from the Mother
country of her leading Colonies.
My own impression of the present at
titude of the rising generation of over
sea Britons is that they manifest more
and more a desire for complete indie
pendence. and that the excessive loyal
ty and respect for the old country, to
which we at home attribute such exag-
gerated Importance, is gradually but
surely diminishing, for reasons stated
hereafter.
Not for one moment can disloyalty
be imputed. Such an imputation would
be absurd in the face of the magnificent
assistance rendered by them in the
Boer war; but both Canada and Aus
tralia have made up their minds to be-
come nations and, indeed, regard
themselves as such today. Only a
strong Navy will tend to keep them as
integral parts of the Empire.
Discomfort AND MALADMINIS-
TRATION.
The British Empire. as General Cor
don truly said. is not the creation of
British Ministers, and any statement
TO the effect that the Home Govern
ment has at any time Except during
Mr.. Chamberlain's tenure of office)
fostered the Colonies would, owing to
its glazing inaccuracy. reflect upon the
bona fides of the efforts now being
made to bring about the closer ties
with them. This fact Mr. Chamberlain
fully recognized, as witness his own
story of a reply he made to a foreign
monarch who expressed his admiration
for the Colonial policy of Great Britain
Sir he said. you do us too much
honor; we have never had a Colonial
policy"
He might further have quoted from
the newspaper which has the largest
number of readers in Australia: THE |
adventurous BritoR goes forth. spreads |
the Empire, and builds up new cities. |
For doing this he is punished by the |
loss of his franchise as an elector of |
the Imperial Parliament which runs |
the Empire. and is called a mere !
Colonist' by those who remain at home, |
browsing along in the old rut. and, I'M