The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-06-02

ssist "the legitimate owner" On
June q the united Free States Of
,outh Africa we're constituted. On
he same day the Congress Of Wash
ngton passed . resolution that Ameri-
IN troops should march into Canada
for the preservation flaw and order"
For Ireland, moreover, the hour Of
liberation had ct last arrived. The
English fanctionaries were bounded
out Of the country, and . republic pro-
claimed.
This war, which WAS decided by .
naval battle lasting single hour, WAS
Of only three weeks. duration-hunger
forced England into peace. In her
conditions Germany showed . wise
moderation. In addition to . war in
demnity in accordance with the wealth
of the two conquered states, she con-
tented herself With the acquisition of
the African colonies, With the excep-
ton of the Southern states which had
proclaimed their independence, aud
these possessions were divided with
the two powers Of the Triple Alliance.
Nevertheless this war Was the end of
England. A Lost battle had suficed
to manifest to the world ct large the
feet of clay on which the dreaded COL
ossus had stood. In night the Brit
ish empire had crumbled altogether;
the pillars which English diplomacy
had erected after years Of labor had
failed at the first test.
But would the course of history have
been different had British arms emery.
ed victoriousi Let Us imagine that
the British plan to destroy the fleets
and the oversee trade Of the great
powers in succession had been success
fully accomplished. What would have
followed? With its surplus population
and the overproduction Of its indus
tries, Central Europe would have been
forced. after the outlet of the seas had
been barred BY England, to seek new
paths and fresh markets. The locus
MINORS resistentiae through which the
foiled nations would have found an
outlet would have been Southeast
Europe-the path to Asia. Weshould
then have witnessed the interesting
spectacle of the human deluge, which
in former days had streamed from the
high plateaux of Asia over Europe,
pouring back with irresistible force
into its ancient home. Through Asia
Minor the stream would have taken
its course to Syria and Persia. and
England's naval supremacy being
powerles to interfere, would have
reached India and Egypt BY land and
taken possession of them.
England's East Asian colonies were
bound also to be lost as soon as the
Monaghan peoples had awakened to
their national circumstances. The
projected destruction of the japanese
navy could only have postponed this
process for one or two generations.
The establishment of the independence
of South Africa was . natural product
of historical evolution, as was formerly
the severance of North America, and
as to Canada it was only q question of
time rs to when she would fall victim
to the imperialistic movement in the
Union.
From these reflections We see that
Englandis loss of the supremacy of the
world was an inexorable necessity of
historic evolution. The British EN-
pire was bound to be broken up when
the hypothesis of its existence were no
longer tenable, j. e., the impossibility
| of attacking the British colonies by
land or sea, and the national inferior
| ity of the subjected nations. Thus the
British Empire, which did not consti'
tute one organic whole, but had been
collected together by force in the
course of time, had become . psyche
logical imposibility. 1t was unthink-
able that the exsberant nations of
Europe should for al time submit to
little England's requisitioning the
globe, or that the fanatical nations of
the East should not seize the first
opportunity to shake off the British
rule, which, in spite of marvellous skill
| in the art Of government, Was felt to be
| . foreign yoke.
But that the overthrow Of England