Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-07
BRITISH LEADERS
TO TALK SECESSION
Term Brings No Fear to I'm
periaI Conference
Delegates.
~ Gable TO The star

~ Gable to The Star
LONDON, September 6.-To most
empires secession" is fearful word.
In London it is without sting. When
the imperial conference assemblies the
end of the month one of the questions
before 1t will be the right of common
wealths to secede from the British EN-
pire. The phrase sounds formidable.
On the other side OF the Atlantic such
o question once inspired Calhouns,
Clays and WebsterS. Here 1t is the SUBJ
ject for the theorists in government
and for mild paragraphs in the weekly
reviews
To all practical purposes every men,
Der of the British commonwealth al
ready possesses the right TO secede. It
was clearly implied at the imperial con-
ference in 1926, in the definition of en-
pire as composed of autonomous COM
munities," each complete master of its
own destinies. Self-interest holds those
communities together, and the govern
ment in London would be the last to
cling to the delusion that either def1ni-
lions or arms could hold them together
II self-interest dictated secession.
Love to Assert Freedom.
That the question will be raised in
the imperial conference may be attrib-
uted to a British characteristic as def
mite as the one which enables the en-
pire's statesmen to discuss secession
without paling. 1t is the love OF assert
ing its own freedom often and clearly.
Gen. SHUTS once called this character
istic morbid" Regardless of the apt
ness of the term, Gen. Hertzog, prime
minister of South Africa. already has
arrived in England with the announced
intention of seeing that the imperial
conference announces in unmistakable
terms the right of his or any other part
of the empire to secede whenever 1t
wishes.
There is no doubt definition will be
Hiven, In fact, so thoroughly Is the
gift taken for granted that speculation
has already moved onto another field.
Even before the imperial conference
ends the delegates will begin to arrive
for the Indian round-table conference.
A somewhat hair-raising line OF con-
lecture is opened.
Suppose the imperial conference an
nounces the right of every dominion to
secede. Suppose-as generally Is sup
posed-the result of the round-table
conference will be to boost India along
the road toward dominion status.
Would not the combination be equiva-
lent to an offer Of complete freedom to
india? When British Empire politics
become less concerned with the reali-
ties of profit and loss than with philo-
sophical maxims, the answer will be in
the affirmative. That tins is not In
sight.
Long Transition Period Foreseen.
Dominion status for India will not
arrive in October. It win be preceded
by a long transition period. And when
It does arrive-and despite the present
staunch opposition In India to even the
symbols of British rule-it would be
bold prophet who would forecast today
that the first act of an India elevated
to dominion status would be to secede
from the empire. Many worse evils
than membership in the British Empire
could befall even such an ancient land
as India-unless legislation also can
cure every other nation of covetousness.
Defining the dominions' right of seces-
sion, instead of hampering the work of
the Indian round table, probably will
help IL by adding luster to the ultimate
goal Of dominion status.
Copyright, i930)