The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-09
~ Ii. WILSON HARRIS.

empire problem. Just how he did
II matters little. The point is that
his Britannia majesty King George
" has been contracting a treaty
about who shall catch him, and
where, and when. with Warren
GalralieI Harding, President of the
United States of America, and that
to that treaty, signed as it was
In Washington, was set the hand
not of the Right Hon, Sir Auckland
Geddes, envoy extraordinary and
minister plenipo OF his
Britannia majesty to the United
States, but of Ernest Lapointe, min
I lister of marine and fisheries In the
government of the Dominion Of
Canada.
Sir Auckland DispIeased.
Such a procedure would, in any
case, have provoked comment in
quarters where these matters are
studied, and, as it was, the atten-
ton Of q wider circle was drawn
to the affair by the fact that Sir
Auckland Geddes, on constitutional
rather than personal grounds,
showed himself a little dissatisfied
at his own elimination, and that
NJ. Lapointe, who signed the treaty
as sole representative Of his mai
esty, happens to be French Cana
dian and provided the league OF
nations assembly last year with the
interesting spectacle Of q minister
from d British dominion addressing
the assembly and its commissions
thabitually IN French
Now all this has had the effect
-
self conscious. They have been
talking the thing out at Cape Town,
and the Cape Times has written an
interesting leading article about it.
They have been discussing 1t up
and down at Melbourne, where the
change from Mr.. Hughes to Mr..
Bruce has freshened things up very
notably. Auckland has been little
less interested, but at Auckland the
internal political situation, has been
absorbing a good deal of attention.
And here at home impressive people
who religiously invest five shiIlings
in the Round Table and study it
till the next quarters number comes
out have been discoursing sagacious-
ly to one another on the evolution
Of the constitutional relations of The
empire.
Empire Must Face Problem.
To that task they may for the
moment be left. Constitutional re-
lat1onships are not unimportant,
and it really is worth while to de-
eide whether the King can contract
a treaty on the advice Of Dominion
ministers. or only on their advice If
reinforced by the approval of the
cabinet at Westminster. But this
is only one of a series OF problems
which the Empire can no longer
evade facing. It undoubtedly would
If it could, and quite rightly. For
iTtrospection is not good for the
Empire. The Empire is a phenom-
enon in the constitutional realm.
but essentially a natural phenonl-
enon. It was never constructed, it
was never planned-it merely hap.
pened.
The individualism of the Domin.
ions is obvious. What is the unity
ing element that keeps the Empire
an empire? To speak of symbolism
first. every self-governing unit i'm
the Empire acknowledges allegiance
to the reigning house in England.
In judicial matters the privY coun-
Gil in Downing street remains the
final court of appeal, though it may
be doubted whether that arrange
ment will long endure. When Great
Britain is at war it is generally as
sumed to follow that the Dominions
are at war, though, as Sir Wilfrid
Laurier once pointed out, it does
not necessarily follow that the
Dominions will fight. And, since
war is normally the outcome Of pol
Icy, there is or should be a common
foreign policy for the Empire, in
the shaping Of which the Dominions
have some say.
Must Fix Relationship.
Here we touch the problem of
the moment. The imperial confer
ence meets in October, and one de.
cision it must at all costs make is
how to associate the Dominions
with the work of the British For.
eign Office and the British cabinet.
Mr.. Bruce, Of Australia, is resolved
that that matter shall be discussed.
So is General SHUTS. So is MIR.
Mackenzie King, Of Canada. So, it
may be assumed, is Mr.. Massey. of
New Zealand. But the problem of
machinery and method is battling,
The amended apostrophe: Eye gods,
dHhIlAdLo DOlH LlIIl6 ana space TO
make Dominions happy" may be
good rhetoric but it is calamitously
poor logic. And the dilemma re-
mains. Responsible Dominion min
listers who could speak with author
ity as members OF an imperial cab
met must he at Ottawa, or Mel.
bourne, or Cape Town, as the case
may be, not Except on rare occa-
sions) in Downing street. The high
commissioners to a certain extent
meet the need, but a high COM
missioner in London soon gets out
Of touch with his own country, and
a resident minister here would do
the same. Occasional visits for. i'm.
perial conferences are useful, but
inadequate. But something must
somehow be devised. or Dominion
ministers may he found signing in
struments much more controversial
than halibut treaties. And that
would be the end of the Empire.
Y. M. c. A. LEADERS CLUB
HOLDS ANNUAL BANQUET
The Leaders Club" of the Young