The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-09-12
AUSTRALIA AND THE FLEET.

The impression gained in school and held tena
ciousy throughout life by many is that Australia
| is small country. 1t is, in truth, small CONT
nent as compared with the others But in the slE
federated states of the continent is an area prac
tically the same as that of the United States And
the people there numbering somewhere between
100000 and 100000, have given the American
feet such welcome as eclipsed that accorded the
Duke of York when that scion of the British royal
| family visited there few years ago.
This fact suggests than appears the
surface. Surely, it cannot be said that the Aus
tralans lack patriotism, for the home" govern
ment has been most benefcent in its dealings with
the Australian colonies. The continent is entirely
self-governing, and the local government planned
the reception to the feet. 1t appropriated its own
money to carry that celebration through the
grand scale which the cables told us about. First,
it was at Sydney, where 100000 people lined the
banks of the harbor into which the American feet
steamed Then the feet went to Melbourne and
was greeted equally as enthusiastically. Of course.
there is the most friendly feeling between the Brit
ish government and that of the United States but
there is deeper meaning to the enthusiasm than Il
mere friendly greeting to the American flag and
the "home" governments alliance with the Japa
nese and against the expansion of the japanese
influence in the Pacific.
The dispatches from Melbourne last Monday
morning quoted the Melbourne Argus as saying:
although not sure of our strength we are sure
of our inspirations to keep this continent for the
white race. a clean-blooded limb of Great Britain
The visit of the Americans aroused unparal-
ieled demonstration of friendship which will be
mem orabe in its influence. The hope exists in Aus
traan hearts that the chain of friendship will
stretch across the Pacific, binding the two great
nations
The import of these words is plain. 1t amounts
to no less than warning to Japan that further
encroachments, further aggressveness in the Pacific
will not be tolerated. Thus aso the British colo
nists make protest to the alliance of the mother"
country with the alien Mongolian race, and show
their friendship for America, the nation of their
brothers and sisters. They want the japanese to
understand that the English-speaking people, the
great Cqucason race, are one in their community
of interest in the Pacific, and they want to warn
Great Britain that the moral support of her colo
MES cannot be depended upon in the oft-hreat
ened war between Japan and the United States
should eliminate. This is the true meaning of
the dispatches.
In fact, the colonists of that continent nominaly
under the dominion of the British crown, have al
ready demanded of the empire the privilege of
building and maintaining navy of their own to
fight the aggression of the Japs and to afford pro-
lection against the very nation with which the
"home" country has entered into an agreement.
The visit of the American fleet offered them the OPP
to show their dspleasure with the action
of the empire of which they are a part They have
seized the opportunity to impress on the 'home"
government that the needs of her colonies are bet
ter understood by the colonsts than by the British
the New Zeaanders, the western Can
adams, and the Australians are one with the Ameri-
can people in the protest against japanese aggres
SION They recognize the yellow peril" as the
fhome" government cannot. To them the Pacific
is ocean to be ruled by the whites or the Mon
yolians, and they prefer white domination indi-
vidualy and collectively, the alliance of the crown
to the contrary Notwithstanding.
c0HIAI IcM