The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1888. FEDERATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1818, 20 November 1888, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1888. FEDERATION.

The Earl of Kimberley, according to Friday's cablegrams, has said that England, in her anxiety to strengthen her connection with her colonies, has oyershot the; mark. This is about the masfc sensible remark that has hitherto been made on the question of Imperial Federation. Until very recently there was not the slightest friction between England and her colonies, and wherever a free government like that which we have in New Zealand existed there was to be found loyalty to the Crown equal almost in ijts pfenEJty to religious zeal. It was absurd to interfere with relations so pleasant, but a few nobodies, who bad not tbe ability to secure distinction in auy other way, took up this parrot cry of

Imperial Federation. The Conservatives in England, who thought it was a grand thing to get the colonies on their side, immediately rushed to the front in the matter, but now, when they have the power, they are most illiberal in many of their dealings with the Colonial Governments. It is since their accession to power the irritation occurred. The Deceased Wife's Sister Bill of New South Wales was vetoed, and caused.a good deal of ill-feeling; the Chinese question has not smoothed matters much, and now there is a dispute over the appointment of a Governor for Queensland. We have always held that the appointment of Governor should be left in the hands of the Crown. This is the only link which binds us officially to England, and unless we are prepared to cut the painter we ought to interfere as little as possible in Buch a matter. It does not appear to us that we are in a position to proclaim colonial independence yet, and we believe it would be a mistake for us to do so; but, while desirous of maintaining cordial relations with England, we do not think that there is anything at all wrong in the actipn taken by the Premier of Queensland in reference to the appointment of a Governor. He merely asked the Colonial Office to give him the name of the Governor who would be appointed, so as to ascertain whether he would be acceptable to the people. This appears to us to be a very reasonable request, and it was a most unreasonable and arrogant th.ng 'for,,Lord Knutsford to " get his back up " at. it. That is not the way to promote Imperial Federation. It is not right to send to this colony a baby statesman iu his political knicker-bockers, nor to Queensland a man who has risen from the lower social. stratas to fame by performing dirty work for Dublin Castle. Sir EL. A. Blake was, we are told, a draper's apprentice in Dublin, and by good amateur acting attracted the attention of the Lord Lieutenant, the Earl of Carlisle. For this the Lord Lieutenant procured for him a cadetship in the police; he made a lucky marriage, and showed special aptitude for performing dirty offices for Dublin Castle. In the time of the land agitation in Ireland he was appointed special magistrate, and in his persecuting propensities was the equal of Clifford Lloyd. The only difference between the two men was that while the courage and pluck of Lloyd attracted wide attention nothing of this kind distinguished Blake, Sir Clifford Lloyd was sent to Egypt, but he was so great a tyrant that he had to return home discredited. He next was appointed Deputy-Governor under Sir J. Pope Hennessy. He was no sooner appointed than he conspired against Sir J. P. Hennessy, with the result that the latter gentleman was suspended. An exhaustive inquiry resulted in proving that Sir J. P. Hennessy was right, and he was reinstated in office. ' Now, Sir A. H. Blake is a worse type of a man than Sir Clifford Lloyd, and, besides, he has no experience of free institutions. In Ireland his life has been spent in indulging in every species of persecutions, and his year or two in the Bahamas could not enlighten him to anv great extent. It is ao wonder, therefore, that the people of Queensland have no desire to secure as Governor a Dublin Castle hack, and the fact that the Premier of that colony is backed up by the leader of the Opposition there shows pretty plainly that it would be a great mistake to appoint him. The fact is, the probabilities are that the colony would not acknowledge him at all if he were foisted on them in spite of their protests. This is a bad way to promote Federation, and the soonei the British Government recognise this the better. We want Federation which will shut out of the British market the goods of America and France, and Sundayworking Germany, and which will give the colonies a monopoly. Ihe British Empire can produce all she requires, and if she were to live within herself that would be Federation indeed. But the great lights of Federation never speak of such a thing. The fact is, they do not know what they are talking about, and neither does anyone else.