THE PELORUS GUARDIAN FRIDAY, JANUARY, 31, 1890. FEDERATION.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume I, Issue 3, 31 January 1890, Page 2

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN FRIDAY, JANUARY, 31, 1890. FEDERATION.

4> There is no question *ee?ivinff greater attention at the, present time than; that <<f the federation of the British Empire, and on.» which has little or no opposition, so iat as the general principle is 'concerned} but the niayner or means by .which it in to be brought aboyt is rather difficult of solution, and any plan, however f- asible, is sure to he nevere'y critiaiiied, iu f.tct, it is very jdowbtfu! wh ther polit'e.il f. deration in at ptvsent within the rs ng« of practical politics. There is also little d -uhtthat at,present object to be atrainel, or what is nought by federation, is the bin'ilieff tog'-tber of a great empire for Whik Europe pun-?

ti.i'o>ste>.'be-in a stateoftlNe/ty* exeitement, and millions ')f soldiers are continoally armed and ready f<.r action, a feeling of insecurity will continue to prevail in these colonies. Federation then really m<-ans, at the,present time, combining ourselves together to assume greater proportions of wtrength in cas> of :m attack from some foreign power, but what federation m iy mean in th no distant future is more difficult to foresee, possibly it will be more in the direeti >n of regulating our commercial

and social relations Looking back on ttie past, it was not many jears since that English - states in on declared'.that the coloni s were a burden to the Mother Country, and the sooner England was rid of this burden the better. A "resit change lias taken place in the laHt few years in the sentiments of i nglisli public men, and the opposite opinion now appears to prevail. At one time, too, a successful colonist who went back to visit his native land had a very cold and formal reception by the English aristocracy, and was looked upon as a very unfit person for them to associate with, and generally speaking the said colonist was glad to get bark to the land of freedom « where a man is a man for a' that." Tiis great barrier between the English aristocracy and that of the colonies has now been nearly broken down, and a much more generqus feeling, a»d a greater desire for social intercourse now prevails between the two, It is well known that when the Australian ..erickdters first visited England they were treated in anything but a generous spirit. Since then, however, a great change has taken place, and the visits of the Australians are looked upon with pleasure by high and low, and the first link in the chain of sympathy was then formed between the colonies and the Mother Country, Then another link in the chain was formed when the Soudm conciug-nt was se t from NrfW South Wales, anil which brought torch the admiration of the world. 'J?tiea we com <to the one which will be still more binding and and lasting—namaly, tin largi su n of money sent, fr >m Australasia to E iglaod to a<riist the strikes to obtain fair rminera'ion for their labour, anl, hid it not been f >r-whjuli, capital w>ul I hive continued to enslave labour, but as it was huulrels of thousands of m j u were placed in a posi-bu to obtain th?ir just dm mis What stronger links than these are r-quired in tha chain which will ultinute-y bind the whole Anglo-Saxon rac> tog ith.-r. W ■•■ are afraid this cry for political f d srafci >u is premature, and is only f ir.milateJ. by ambitious politicians w'lo are m>rd ai;xi>us about their ow'n.fd-nn than toe real inter sts of those th-y represent. Wj ace going on steidily towards too fod-sr iti >n of the Enipir--, and it is as w II to leave we'l il >u>, aid It n itt rs take course in the direction they are at pres -nr pointing.