Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-11-04


RIGA, OF course, the phrase new man" has
special meaning as they apply it to "Slim Jamie"
Smuts for he has been growing wOrld-hgure Tor
several years. BY new man" they mean new
leader" For Dom Paul Krueger's fighting general
of twenty years ago is being discussed pretty
much all the world as a possible leader of
that Iew British empire which SHUTS himself
thus outlines:
"The old prewar British empire is gone, in the
sense of colonies or subordinate nations clustering
around master nation. The British empire
is developing into a real league of nations,
group of partner peoples"
SHUTS is looked upon by many, says Sir Philip
Gibbs the noted British correspondent, in the
Springfield Republican, as "the leader Eng
land has been waiting for' and the proper success
to Lloyd George. Says Sir Philip
''Why not make SHUTS next prime minister?
A Boer, educated at Cambridge and against us in
South Africa, is hardly adapted to be prime minis
ter of England, but stranger things have happened
in England" Sir Philip calls SHUTS man who
never looks back for regret or vengeance, but al
ways forward with free and courageous vision"
and concludes with this statement: "There are
men in England today in high places well as
low who say he is the man we are looking for"
The Evening World of New York argues at
length that the British empire must be trans
formed into an association of nations and de-
clares SHUTS to be the logical head of the
and greater empire. The Christian Science Moni-
tor of Boston says he has always served high
ideals and served them "in way which has ever
inspired a strange confidence that he was not
closing his eyes to mistakes, where mistakes were
made and that his devotion inspired by a
much larger concept of things than that involved
in the generally accepted meaning of the word
patriotism"
In short, practically the entire press of the
United States has been throwing bouquets to this
Boer farmers boy of the Weld The concensus of
opinion seems to be that he must be given a place
among the worlds greatest living statesmen and
a front rank among the leaders of the British
empire
Most people know vaguely that this same Brit
ish empire is so vast that the never sets on
its flag In fact it is so vast that to catalogue
its possessions is difficult There is hint of its
extent in the title of the British sovereign:
George of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, and of the British Dominions
Beyond the Seas, Defender of the Faith, Emperor
of India" These "Domnions Beyond the Seas
extend TO every continent and consist of self-gov-
erning domnions, crown colonies and protector
ates and other dependencies.
AS everyone knows, the United Kingdom con-
sists Of England and Wales, Scotland Ireland and
the channel islands. In Europe there are Gibral-
tar Malta, Cyprus, etc. India, Burma Ceylon and
a score of other possessions lie in Asia In Africa
its flag waves over more than 100000 square
miles. including Egypt and the South African I'm
ion. III Australasia are Australia, Tasmania Pa
Western Hemisphere its vast holdings include
Canada, New Foundland and Labrador British
Guinea and various West Indian islands Alto
gether the British empire contains about u OOO-
600 square miles and 45O000O00 people
So the British empire is strongly suggestive of
a league of nations. Moreover, the World war
produced a noteworthy effect. There were those
who predicted that the British empire would go
to pieces under the strain of that titanic conflict
On the contrary Engand's needs brought out won
derful proof of loyalty from her colonies The
ties were made stronger. Yet in the end the net
result was that the British empire came out of
the World rather, as SHUTS puts it, "a group
of partner peoples" than subordinate nations
clustering around one master nation"
Whatever may be the future of SHUTS, his past
is interesting. He was born little than
fifty years ago in the Transvaa a farm in the
western province in the Karroo country. His
Boer father and grandfather were farmers He
got his early education in the Transvaal and then