NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10970, 26 January 1899, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Hon. Hannis Taylor, the late United States Minister to Spain, contributes a deeply thoughtful and historical study of "Pending Problems" to the November North American Review. He begins his retrospect with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 which formed the basis of public law in Europe until the French Revolution. He contrasts the relative position of the Roman, the Teutonic, and the Slavonic race? then and now. In 1648 French was spoken bv twenty millions, Russian by fifteen millions, English by dfrily eight and ahiilf millions. The almost complete exclusion of France from the Western Hemisphere is next traced. The resulting situation in 1800 is thus concisely put: —

In 1800. Sq. miles. Per cent Spain 7,028,628 or 45 7 Great Britain ... 3,719,105 „ 24 Portugal 3,209,878 „ 209 United States ... 827,844 „ 54 Russia 577,390 „ 30 Prance 29,352 „ 'ni Netherlands ... 434 „ 'n Denmark 223 (> 'q

Total 3 Americas... 15,392,858 100 Now only 134,090 square miles (including Cuba and Puerto Rico) are governed Outside of the sphere of the British and American systems, under which Mr. tayloi embraces all the Spanish and Portuguese Republics, " The process which began with the expulsion of Frahce from North America in 1763 elided with the expulsion of Bpain from Cuba and Puerto Rico during the current Far." The accidents which led to the war merely precipitated a result inevitable as the law of the survival of the fittest . The consequent territorial expansion is the

ce«sarv outcome of the inevitable pro. j|: cess Washington'? advice of a policy „) Tjs ist lVt-ion, given to his country when one of f< the weakest of nations, does not apply when ' M s ', is one of the strongest. - g

Mr Taylor argues that the Lnited States * M should now settle once for all their fight l| I of intervention in the affairs of lb# Wcstefa ' Hmisp!'«^ the right suggested b Can- ft „in in 1823—and, its Jefferson urged in ig • 1823 " sedulously cherish a cordial friettd- M : ship " vritli Great Britain. To this enfl lie ' m proves "an international tribunal of atbi- % i tmtion" between Groat Britain and th» t : United States. Having thus cleared the ; ! '; ; ! around, -Ml'. layliir proceeds, to present pro. , blems.' As Great Britain suggested the | jm n principle of America's foreign policy, >>; so she offers the precedent which Mr. Tay. .1; lor recommends for America colonial policy. ? He says; _ VTitli England firmly by our " side there is no reason why we should Sot" ¥ deal' wiSelv and without pressure With tfo grave problems now pending for solution in' . the Atlantic and Pacific. As we have followed the political experience of the Mother . Country in even-thing else, there is no reason . why we should not learn from her how to build up and manage a colonial empire, if destiny has decreed that we shall have one. " In that domain Great Britain has been eminently successful, because she has been wise enough to devise an elastic system of colonial government which she adapts to each new acquisition according to its special stage of development and its local wants and traditions. In that way her colonies represent almost every form of government, from that of the autocratic High Commissioner, who legislates for savage Basutoland by tho issuance of proclamations merely, up to the complex Federal union under which the . self-governing communities of Canada con- / trol their destiny, with scarcely any intei- ' fetence from the parent State. Great Bri-

tain does not pretend to extend the full rights of British citizenship to all of her colonists. The right of self-government is limited to colonies in the temperate zonein India and th» Crown colonies the constitutional doctrines that secure the right of public meeting and the freedom of the press do not exist." Now comes the queslion whether the " less flexible constitution" of tie United States admits of any parallel colonial development. Mr. Taylor answers in the afirmative. Conquered territory, under military occupation, and prior to the confirmation of the treaty of peace, is under the government of the President as commander-in-chief. When the annexed territory passes into the national domain Congress can govern it directly, or through a territorial government expressly created for it.

Now that attention is being directed to the question ol the exclusion of aliens by colonial Governments under the powers bf sovereignty, instead of under express legislative authority (says the Melbourne Age), it will be interesting to state that the Victorian authorities about a month ago made special inquiries on this subject. At that time the Government of South Australia had issued a gazette notice, directing that these latent powers should be exercised by certain Government officers for the purpose of ex- - . cluding any foreign immigrants who might be regarded as undesirable. At that period, too, it seems to have been recognised that the Legislative Council would not pass the Immigration Restriction Bill in a serviceable form. As the result of these researches, it was ascertained that the Victorian Go- • vernment, after some formal preliminaries, could exclude aliens who weir; :>.ot accorded the privilege of entny to the colony under treaty with the Empire. It will have been remarked that in treaties, made by Great Britain of recent years with one or two ,# foreign countries it has been stipulated that £

the treaties should not apply to the selfgoverning colonies, theii application to these parts of the Empire to be the subject of separate negotiations with, the local colonial Governments. The treaty with Japan is an instance of this reservation. It was further ascertained that the sovereign powers inherent in the Governments of the Australian colonies could not be exercised in respect to the natives of India, as these people rank a! British subjects. To restrict the immigration of British subjects of the Indian race* a special Act, such as the measure which wai before the Victorian Parliament last session, would have to be passed, and receive the Royal assent.

Amongst the wonted profusion of stories and illustrations, "Harper's" Christmas Number contains one serious article, by Mr. E. F. Fenellosa, whose long experience of the Far East should give weight to his strong opinions. He regards the awakening oi China as the most important change the world has seen for centuries, and foretells that the race which secures the control of Chinese markets and industry will rule t-liß world. The 100,000.000 of China will be ' trained in modern methods by someone, and it looks as ii their teacher and master will be Russia. Mr. Fenellosa urges that an American, British, and Japanese alliance should oust the Muscovite and take in hand the development of the Flowery Land. He reminds us that China differs from the East in general, since the Anglo-Saxon can liv* and breed in its latitude. Thus the Mongolian Empire will not prove another India, I ;• dependency to be governed by a handful oi aliens, but a country in which East and . West can meet and fuse. He believes that the West hat much to learn, and that Japan with its progressive characteristics, would be far the best educator toi China, it aided bj English and American men of business The writer is an enthusiast, but he makes out a strong case for his main contention, which is that a splendid opportunity is likelj to be thrown away in China, and that-, a. eventually the Russians must be driven out of Manchuria, it would have been better for the world if the development of the enormous and wealthy ares of China had fallen exclusively to the Anglo-Saxon.

The Earl oi Beauchamp, who, as a"' nounced in our cablegrams yesterday, has been appointed Governor of New South Wales, in succession to Lord Hampden, was born on February 20, 1872, and is therefort not quite 27 year* of age. He wa> edu- 'j, ; cated at Eton, and at Oxford, <?■ and succeeded his fathei in 1891. He is nn- • || married. He has been a membei of the London School Board since 1897, and wal Mayor of Worcester for 1895-96. He own' .0 about 18,000 acres. His surname i. Lygofi- ,p|

Vp The French press is much more friendly in its references to Britain. The Temp' |J| advocates an amicable settlement of °uKf§ standing difficulties. The German newspapers declare that the action of the Bri-t-ish Consul in Samoa was influenced by til' fact that the missionaries object to Mataafa,& ' election as king because h: is r R° mil ® Catholic. Two steamships for the Russian.. * Vohmteei Fleet are being built in England- • Russia has informed the Powers, that slrf'/fl cannot "support the demands for retornt 3 thade by Macedonia, fearinj, that to do so ■;& would lead tc trouble. Prime George i•: || leceiving an enthusiastic welcome i" the principal towns of CreteEven the Moslems appear quite d" ; cojiciled to the now ordei of iffaift jf A Filipino Congress, held at Hongkong, h'3., vetoed the American annexation proposals." , r The Congress expressed the opinion that ih? j .* appointment of' an American Conimissiofi - to inquire into the presen' conditior of ||| islands and the means ti Ik adopted. .4$ ■ * ■

was only a ruse to ! Hiffle Lord Curzon, the now Viceroy, , r f -pinion that circumstances are now " ra L for the adoption of a gold stand'■r ,* An earthquake bus wrecked n \ villages in Sicily, simultaneous Sw.gl.l.i»."«W..fW The Son master builders threaten to lock-out the members of the Plasterers' Union unless L abandon their demand that foremen be Jolted to enrol as members oi the union.