Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-06-29


stinc:ivcly hates war and all its works. Is
still II house divided against itself: De-
mocracy has not yet dared fearlessly 20
FOLLOW its own declaration of principles
II is still provincial; but it's tenets now
claim so vast n body Of adherents that It
has only to rise above that provinclalism
i to do for the civilized world what our
fathers did for the western world one
| hundred and twenty-five years ago
| And what after all is the great cause Of
war? The great cause of war Is whatever
alarms the elemental instinct of sef-pres-
ervation. mems intuitive determination to
defend this natural right to life liberty
and happiness; the fear that others plan
! to take those rights away This instinct
! first made mans civic unit his family and
! his home a cave; then it found a larger
safety in the clan. then in the tribe, and
! finally In the nation. 1t is instantly
aroused whenever the nation, az every
/ considerable nation now must projects
Itself into the unorganized, lawless and
primitive portion Of society called the
world of internationally.
/ Before we can have peace we must end
the savagery of Internationally. We
must hunt ont of this no-man's land the
serpents Of fear and jealousy; we must
We must become truly democratic How?
Ultimately through the federation of the
democratic world, but as a first step,
through the reunion of the Anglo-Saxon
world. This reunion must be accomplish
ed not to over-awe any other people, not
to pile UP force with which to meet force,
not to elimi late small natonalities or
mako great ones afraid, but primarily to
make the Anglo-Sa&on world really demo-
cratic-democratic Interstate as well as
intra a-state-democratic as cur IS States
are internally democratic. Such fed
Grafton mot confederation would almost
certainly come to inclL 1e--perhaps before
its competion-France. Holland. Switz-
erland, and possibly some OF the repub-
lies of South America. The r .rliament
of man" would then be something more
substantial than a dream.
The Ango-Saxon world has had only
one great division in its empire since tho
days of King Alfred. The people Of the
l3 colonies exercised their power as ind-
vidual sovereiens and revolted against the
purblind folly of king who was half-in-
sane and ministers who We're selfish and
stupid. That revolt broke the Anglo-Saxon
world in halves but it nowhere changed
the Ango-SaXon faith nor the Anglo
'7'N'N'H lil'Ol VI Huilldu TlNI4lS.
The admission of Vermont confirmed
the breach in the Anglo-Saxon world.
That as a bald fact was a calamity, bu.
it brought blessings too. BY the admis-
sion Of Vermont the new nation showed
itself not only free but self-sufficient. This
reacted on the mother country The folly
| which aIienated 10 colonies was not re-
peated The great Englshmen who had
denounced that folly came into power.
Great Britain entered upon that ,inparal-
leled period of colonization that has put a
circle of Engish-speaking nations round
the world and brought English law and
justice TO the remotest corners Of tho
earth.
Canada, long fouted and neglected by
us, has finally sprung into national being,
as English as the English, as democratic
as we are-bone of our bone and flesh Of
our flesh. The commonwealth of Aus
tralia has been created under a constitu.
ton largely copied from ours. The South
African Union is rounding out another
great if racialy hetegeneous people,
New ZEALAND. Newfoundland, Egypt. In.
dia, all the other dependencies of Great
Britain, have found the great mother just
and wise. Tested suddenly by an assault
of unprecedented fury, the loosely held
units Of the British Empire have stood
fast and the Anglo-Saxon world-outsde
of the United States Of America-and all
that II controls has been hammered Into
n union which will become closer with
post-bel!um Establishments. The English
States which may rightly claim the dig
nifty Of natiOns-Canada, Australia, South
Africa, New Zealand-have all drifted con-
stantly towards our standards and our
ideals rather than towards those of ear
lier England. Each has written con-
stituton: none has an aristocracy; and
while all cling to the nomenclature and
some of the forms Of monarchy, all are
thoroughly democratic. The mother
country herself has moved in the same
. direction. New and violent establishments
will follow the close Of this war. The
British Empire, so-called, is certain then
to be reconstructed. Tho anomalous con-
ditions under which Canada, for example,
is almost a nation and vet is not SOW
eregnty will not he continued. Canada
had no voice whatever in deciding that
there should he war. She had and has
no control over the foreign relations Of
Great Britain, though she now realizes
that whatever Great Britain does binds
her Canada will have no voice in maxi
i ing peace. In the realm where the supreme
questions OF war and peace are determined
Canada is less sovereign than the States
of our Union. Through their represent a
tives in Congress our states speak in the
decision OF all these supreme issues, Let
e us bring the argument home
Suppose Great Britain had been as wise
i in her attitude toward the l3 colonies in
v l77G and earlier as she has been in her
relations with Canada and Australia. Pic
u ture America to-day as n Dominion of the
! British empire. Is il thinkable that We
would long consent 10 have the questions
OF war and peace settled for us by Par
lament which represents the British Isles
= | only? There can be but one answer TO
= that question put to AnRlo-SaNons any
where. Therefore for canada, Australia
New Zealand, South Africa ano New
L foundland, there can he nohalfway course
y when peace comes They must then be-
II come actually independent as the 10 colo
nies did-an utterly unlikely proceeding
o or the whole structure of the British En-
o pire must be changed. These AnGlo-SaN-
II on States cannot otherwise fully apply 20
= their own benefit the principles Of lus
II tice and Of liberty for which thousands OF
their sons have unselfshy ant- -O~-~y
y died. This reconstruction will vastly in
J. crease the homogeueitY of the Euslish-
s speaking world, hut will still leave it split
f. i'm twain