CONFEDERATION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 485, 4 August 1871, Page 3

CONFEDERATION.

In a letter appearing in the London Standard of the 7th of May last, signed J. V., and generally attributed lo the Hon. Julius Vogel, the Federation of Great Britain and her dependencies is ably advocated. The following are the leading points upon which it is proposed this most desirable consummation might be based :—“ (1) So to regulate the federal power that it should not interfere in the internal affairs of tbs members of the Confederation, while securing to the parent country all the executive power she ought to exercise. (2) To provide that what are now called 'colonial questions' should be left to the federation. (3.) the establishment of a federal fleet. (4.) That each member of the federation should be liable, in case of war, to provide a stated land force, which force it would probably be found convenient in most cases to retainw ithin or near the tcrrito' y to which it belonge I. (s.(The federal expenses to be contributed by the members of the federation, upon some stated basis, such as population ; or there might be one fixed federal tax running through the empire. (G.) There should be two Chambers, one directly elected by the people, the other by thelocal legislatures The former might be elected upon a population basis, and any co'ony not having the stated number might be allowed to return a Briber who, until the population sufficiently increased, should be empowered to voteupon particular questions on’y. Following the German plan, it might be found desirable to give to some members of the House a plurality of votes. The executive power ought to be jealously vested in the Queen and her ministerf; and, still further following the example of Prussia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs might be made Chancellor for the Federation.” Mr. Vogel expresses a firm conviction that “if Great Britain wero bold enough to grapple resolutely with the question, and would promulga'e a federal constitution, leaving to each Colony to decide whether it would come within that constitution, or would cease to be in any part of the empire, every Colony would elect to remain, and the mightiest empire of hj story would be an ac---complished fact. ) And in cqncluion ho adds that if ever and whecffrer secession beocmeo a fact, the con-

ditions which make it so will owe their origin to the actions and the faults, not of thh colonists, hut of the mother country.” The Standard coincides with Mr. Vogel in the opinion that the separation of the Colonies from the Empire would he a national calamity, and asks, Why should Great Britain he the one exception ?, while evory’other great nation is cementing and consolidating the connection between its members, adding—“ Surely the time is come when Great Britain should decide what she is to be—an insular kingdom, sunk necessari'y into a third rate power, or tbe central member of a( great Anglo- Saxon confederation.” A party, not as yet having much influence in England, calling themselves “Anglo Federalists,” advocate the emigration of not on’y the working classes of Britain, but also the landed gentry and scions of the upper ten thousand, asking, in fact: ■ ‘Why should not English ’society, in its highest sense, move in mass to the Southern Hemisphere, receiving new patrimonies in exchange for those handed down from ihe Conquest.? Why should the colon’es not have titles, ranks, peers, and all oiher Old World distinctions ?” The Time), in reply, says: “Unfortunately for these pleasant dreams, London is not the place to put these questions. They should be asked at Sydney, Melbourne, and other colonial capitals. The colonies do just what they p'ease,' with the simple reserve that they must not not fly in the face of British law and policy. . . . , . , No Government, no Parliament, can make what laws it plesses or carry out an ideal policy - it must he content with carrying out the wishes of the greatj’Britiah constituency.” Briefly put, this means that Federation will neverle accomplished until the mother country and colonies can agree to mutual terms of contract. Confederation of the Empire has called forth most favorable comments]from the English press; hut, to colonial readers of the home journals, it is too evident that an infinite amount of erroneous opinions regarding the colonies have to he dispelled before the British public will intelligently grasp tbe idea. Meanwhile, in a quiet way, the much talked-of federation of the Australian Colonies may be accomplished, aa a first step towards the elaboration of i-some (definite proposal for the grand confederation of all the Anglo-Saxon dependencies.