Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-06-29
COMMENCEMENT
At THE UNIVERSITY
COMES TO AN END
CONTINUED from page OncD

! erS, dlioWinS pcIHhahS 'itu't i'i "ii
her anto-bellum colonial possessions,
such an Anglo-SaNon empire Wouiu
embrace most OF the cholce territory OF
the world. lhcluolhs potn 'he SUE" anu
I the Panama canals.
In population what would 1t mean?
| 1t would nave under It's constitution
5O.O0O,ooO-white and colored-aga'nst
496,OO0,0OO for the other SIX powers
In wealth. what would IL mean
It's wealth would approximate sooo'-
o0o'ooo,ooo against neutrality-suspicious. ior
! the others
Its commerce. including exports and
imports. would total nearly $l4,OOo'-
100000 per annum against $12,00O,0OO'-
! OOO for the other great powers on the
basis OF ante-bellum conditions
I such federation would be menace
to no nation; it could not be formed
Tor asgression-its democratic units
would forbid. 1t would interfere no
institutions or ITS constituent nations
thah our 1ederal government ihterieres
with the internal machinery OF Ne"
YORK state 1t would ennople local CIT
lzehshlp' intensity local prlue anu pre-
serve local institutions
can u De done!
or course 1t can be DONE
VIII 1t be done!
Ihat involves the answer 10 the rld-
ole or the SphinN' TEL me whether
america Is hooern Oeoipus ana you
ALREADY nave your answer
1t is certain mat the ola forces.
whlch nave controlled clVlllzat'on' WILL
at the close or TINS war; be exhausted
Ihey can cohfnlt no more murders.
create no more staggering oepts' preeo
nave had time TO recuperate' WIZ the
people seize tne opportunity "hlle the
old doctrines are discredited and
force readjustment That VIII cast the
doctrine OF unconditional sovereignty
onto the scrap-heap of history? That
doctrine Is as much an anachronism to-
day as the Ptolemaic theory of the
universe.
Some years ago, Lord Rosebery.
speaking as Lord Rector to the stu
dents of Glasgow University, tried to
imagine what would have happened if
George III had listened to reason, If
representatives of the American coll
onies had been admitted to the imper-
ial Parliament and America had been
preserved to the British crown He
saw the seat of empire transferred by
sheer force of necessity across the
Atlantic. He tried to picture the
stately procession across the sea of
King and Parliament. of ministers and
\ judges. He admitted, apart from all
other considerations. that he would
even now approve of such transfer
if the wars Of the Revolution and of
1872 with all their bitter memories
could be blotted out.
The seat of Anglo-Saxon empire has
already made the stately iournev that
Lord Rosebery saw in his vision. The
white population of the entire British
empire is only about one-half that Of
the United States.
Never since responsible government
began has so large and rich portion
OF the earth as that lying between the
HuIt OF MEXICO on the south and the
! North ioie' between the Atlantic on
| ."e cast anu 'ne racine on the west
ONN"p'c" ny an almost Wholly
seneous People-homoBeneou in
speech IN plood' IN literature. in law,
ana III loeais' Great Britain is now
'he iar easterly outpost of prodigious
empire ii we start at the Meridian Of
1feeh"ich' skirt the western shore of
europe 10 the 50th parallel. and then
'raNei west we snail md. north of that
pai aiiei' "orio soildly Anglo-SaXon
:" 'ne ahtipoues' II then we pass to
'he sou'h OF the equator and still west
"aio we ma New Zealand and the
vast reaches or Australia. From the
Merlolan OF Greenwich westward to the
parallel mat cuts western Australia is
'hree-quarters or the way around the
earth. Inc possibilities of this world
sroiihg' ocean-encompassing empire
united IN TACT as 1t now is in its love
OF liberty and in its ideals. staggcr the
Inauguration.
Livery reason advanced in 1888 by
washington and Hamilton and Madi-
son Tor the creation Of this Union
pleads trumpet-tongued to-day for the
creation OF THIS larger Union. for the
creation or the united English nations
II such proposal were now placed
squa"ely before the English nations it
is lamentably probable that the one
most responsive would not he ours. 1t
may be necessary that we be scared
ana pllstered by the flames of war be
lore we rise to due appreciation of
what our fathers did for us. full UNI
outstanding OF our high duty to hu-
manly.
with Great Britain We have already
progressed Tar on the road that leads
TO Anglo-SaXon federation. We have
admitted the essential facts only the
non-essential, but practically the most
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