The Dominion. FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 1911. "IMPERIALISM— BEST QUALITY."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1155, 16 June 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 1911. "IMPERIALISM— BEST QUALITY."

"Before the Royal Geological Institute," says one of to-day's cable messages, "Sir Joseph AVard gave an address on 'The Higher and Truer Imperialism'." Most people will ba a little surprised to learn that there arc degrees of Imperialism, since they will have fancied that you cither were an Imperialist or you were not, just as you were either a loyal subject of the Kixg or a disloyal one. Nobody, however, will be mudi surprised to hear that Sir. Joseph AVard has proclaimed that he is one of the higher and truer Imperialists, that his Imperialism is of that rupcrfine quality which it is necessary to distinguish carefully from the inferior variety favoured by all the other Prime Ministers. Nor will anybody feel surprised, though wo may all feel a little regretful, that the coldness and indifference with which the Conference received his elaboration of the hoary idea of an Imperial Council led Sib Joseph AVard to choose for the title of his address a phrase that must have lacerated the feelings of ths inferior persons whom Britain, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and Newfoundland consider good enough to represent them. AVe are not at all sure, however, that everybody in New Zealand will be pleased cither with the title of the address or the matter of it. For most New Zealandors' thoughts about their delegate are coloured by their inability to forget that during the four years following the 1907 Conference, and during the months of fervent appeal in Parliament and in the press that immediately preceded his departure to London, our delegate refused to give us a single definite word upon the majestic policy of "higher and truer Imperialism" that was all the time nearest to' his heart. New Zealand and Niw Zealanders arc not worthy of the great man's confidence. He and he alone, unhampered by the people's old-fashioned ideas of sentimental ties of kinship, must decide for it what its views shall be on all Imperial issues.

This new evangel, it seems, is after all the same "old notion that the Conference rejected. In continuing to plead for .an Imperial Council the Prime Minister is probably deluding himself with the notion that New Zealand is with him. Ho will not know until he returns that with practically one accord the press ot New Zealand rejoiced heartily at the rejection of his principal resolution. We arc not going to repeat the arguments against tho Imperial Council idea, or the still more preposterous notion of a Parliament of the Empire; they have been abundantly expounded in scores of New Zealand papers of both sides iu politics. The PnniE Minister's friends and opponents are alike convinced that the Conference did a very excellent thing when it coldly but politely rejected the scheme which he fancied could bo made to appear cither new or useful. All we shall say is that if this old and exploded idea that the Prime Minister lias picked off the dust-heap of Imperial discussion is "the higher and truer Imperialism," we much prefer the Imperialism to which tho new prophet would deny these adjectives of merit. That that is the almost unanimous opinion also of the Nfcw Zealand public has been established during the past three weeks as almost the clearest and most unquestionable, fact outside the multiplication table. If, as he said a day or two ago, Sir Joseph Wakd intends to continue his advocacy .of an Imperial Council, he owes it to New Zealand, which has emphatically proclaimed its flat opposition to his views, to do his advocacy in some other capacity than that of New Zealand's Prime Minister. If, as we cannot conceive is not the case, he has kept himself advised of New Zealand opinion, he is affronting New Zealand in persisting in what he fatuously thinks is "the higher aind truer Imperialism," for he must know that his views have been almost unanimously disowned by his country. It is still more seriou-s that he is grossly misleading the British public as to New Zealand's opinion.

It is quite obvious that lie is being exploited by the less scrupulous of the Tariff Reform newspapers. Nobody here will be deceived as to the Pall Mall Gazette's motive in backing him up with the assertion that "if there is no closer Council of Empire than the gathering of tli3 overseas Premiers once every four years, the outlook for Imperial unity will continue grave and clouded." It is impossible not to sympathise with the Westminster Gazette, which must not allow itself to bo impolite or inconsiderate, but which feels itself bound to cure our delegate of his errors if it can. Hopeless of convincing him of the disingenuousness as well as the unsoundness of the Tariff Reformers' ridicule of sentiment as a binding force, it has to resort to blunt material argument. In his present frame of mind, however, Sir Joseph Ward will not listen to the argument that "as long as Great Britain is strong enough at sea to prevent an enemy attacking the Dominions no question of disintegration can arise." He is probably quite correctly represented by the sympathetic Poll Mall Gazette, which says "Sir Joseph Ward declines to believe that the Empire can shuffle along with nothing but sentimental ties." It is a dreadful picture, indeed ! Who but hates to see the Empire "shuffling along" 1 What "practical" map but distrusts mere "sentimental ties" ? Yet the Empire has successfully enough "shuffled along" for a few centuries in that loose harness, and has not done so badly. The poor "sentimental tics" can be tnisted to stand any strain that is likely to be placed upon them. The onus probandi is upon the haters of "shuffling along" to prove the superior strengthening power of commercial and political strait-jackets for the members of the Imperial family.