THE KING AND EMPIRE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 4

THE KING AND EMPIRE.

■ TRUE IMPERIALISM, . f';' - •' 'Lord Curzon delivered a stirring'address on; "The True Imperialism" in the Birmingham Town' Hall Recently, lie spoko as, an querable' Imperialist:" , ■. "I believe," he said, "the British Empiro to be inseparable from the idea of a ■ single Sovereign: of ancient lincago arid personal prestige.:' :A British . Empire that- 'had no: visible head by a Prime Minister or even, tho President of a Republic j would; not. last ,fov; twenty-working-man-picture, how-he would, .fare .without the Empire..When. "India - has. gone and : the great Colonies havo; gone, your ports'and coaling stations; fortresses, aud'dock•yardsi' Crown Colonies and protectorates ' will go, too; With , a navy reduced- arid . a . ismall army confined to Home service; England; from having been the .arbiter, would-sink into thoinglorious playground of the world.Wandering pilgrims would eomo to seo us just 'as they climb i the Acropolis or ascend the Nile. A. congested, population would lead a, sordid existence : with no .outlet for : itsoverflow, no markets' for - its manufactures beyond sucli -as were wholly or partially barred to it by hostile tariffs;- our emigrants would be swallowed up in tlio whirlpool of American cosmopolitanism; Englund would-become a 6ort of glorified Belgium. \ ■ -.••••"* ■ : ' - .-. "As-for the priceless.asset of the national., character; without, a world to conquer., or a' 'duty to perform, it would rot of , atrophy , and inanation: That is" the logical ;consequence' of the' policy many preach.;, Great Empires before now - have sunk to small States. It may bo iii the fullness of time tho turn of England; but -let. it not be 4 done by her own " Self-government on. • .the Colonial • lines would mean ruin to India., Were India lost,' the British Empiro ,in, Asia would perish., ' AN IMPERIAL COUNCIL; "The 'Cabinet, must, riot in'futuro eserciso uncontrolled- power over the-destinies-of ; the entire Empire; some form of "Imperial Council, advisory if 110 morcv liuiJjt sooner, or Jator v emerge. The question how, .the Lnipire is to divide the burden of military , and naval defence between' its members, and the tariff problem, or-the question whether the Empire can be made more self-contained, and selfsufficing in respect of its trade, are still only in the' preliminary stages. At 1 least a quarter of a century will elapso before they are solved. " Of ono thing I. am certain-that, in proper .'hands, the Crown< will become,if not, more powerful; at'any rate more indispensable aud more important. I Jook . forward to, the day when the Sovereign will visit his dominions in person and ' hold his-. Court m J Calcutta' or ' Lord Curzon visited Mr. Chamberlain in the afternoon. ' v '' - , ' 'IMPERIAL SOCIALISM, v "If vou havo an Empiro, you.'must have Imperialism, the essonce or spirit'of Empire." To a'ccuso Britain of militarism, when it- was notorious ampug : foreign nations that a British Government had almost to bo kicked and cuffed before it would consent, to fight, seemed t) him a joke.- He-held compulsory, training to',be of the essence of citizenship. . ......- "I am not a believer in Socialism, though there is much to attract in tho Socialist, ideal, But even wero I a Socialist; I can 6een no reason why those ideas should not' be set _iu the framework of an' Empire,. ,Tho ; Empiro. of the future must rest on'a. democratic oasis.' I decline to believo that this is impossible:- "