The Premier Keel Hauled.

Southland Times, Issue 9543, 13 June 1887, Page 2

The Premier Keel Hauled.

(Evening Freaa.) Sir Kobert Slout, by his article in the Nineteenth Century, has probably done about a-* touch as it is possible for any one man to do towards postponing the date of Imperial Foder^tion. Ho has shown to the people of Ea^land what a combination of ignorance and assurance is compatible with holding high place in this colony. The article throughout is the article of a 6;lf-made, self-taught maD. Everybody koo<ve what Wendell Holmes says of tne house which the Irishman built for himself. "It ia a little out of plumb, and a little wavy in outline, and a little queer and uncertain ia geasral aspect ; bat it was a very good bouse for a 'self-made' carpenter's bouse, aad people praised it and said how remarkably well the Irishman had suecseded." But wo do not hear that that Irshman was ever employed to build a house for anybody else, or thafr ho was ever accepted as an authority on house building. Juat so the • Premrer'a little aspirations to be a leader in law or politics or education out here may bo recoivoJ with the sataa good tempered forbearance from criticism. We have all proper respect for. the qualities which Lave enabled Sir Robert Stoat to ties to.

the position of Premier of New Zealand and a K.G.M.G . Bat when such a person, encouraged by each a forbearance, pn:s himself forward to the world aa an authority on colonial opinion about tbe question of Imperial Federation, and gets printed, for all the English speaking world to read, a tissue of inaccuracies and falpo reasoning, we feel inclined to disagree with Or Holmes when he Bays of self- in ado men that "it is better to bo made in that way than not made at all." Indeed one ia almost tempted to apply to sacb a man tho remark mide by another distinguish- d American when informer) that Mr Andrew Johnston was a self-made man: 'Is lie now? Well, that relieve my Creator i>f a very heavy responsibility." We do not moan to Bay that there aro not a great many edifying sentiments in tbe Promier'u urticle. We seem to hear in it the echo of a great speech delivered by Mr Forester some fifteen yenrs or more ago on the Rubject of an alliance of tbe English speaking race throughout tbe world. We are alao reminded of Mr Ecroyd's able pamphlet on Fair Trade in its bearings on Imperial Federation. But neither of these were ignorant or arrogant enough to claim from England, as a sine qua. non of Impeiial Federation, that eho should absolutely renounce all interference with European politics. The tone in which this demand is repeated, the arguments by which it is supported, the assumption of- tbe present and future greatness of the colonies, &ni of the feebleness of England without her colonies, are all simply ineupportable, and will go far towards resuscitating in Eag|k land the old feeling that the colonies are not worth keeping- at their own price. We join most heartily with our contemporary, the Lyttelton Times, io regretting that the Premier did not go to tho Imperial Conference, though, perhaps, for different reasons. Ho would, at all events, have seen London ; and from the tone of his article we are almost tempted to believe that he was never there, except on his way from the islands of Shetland to the islands of New Zealand. He would have met with men wbo would have shown him, for example, how the colonies wouid euff'T far more from separation than England would. If he had let off that ambiguons remark of which he 6eems so fond, that "the interests of England are worldwide rather than European," S»'r Hemy Holland, — or, possibly, some Australian delegate Jess " Belf-taughi" than himself, —might have gently quoted to him (he saying, " omne majus continet in se minus,' I and might considerately have explained to our erudite Premier the application of that well-known saying, viz. : 4> that England's interests are European just because they are world-wide." And if he had argued aa be does in his article, that the possession of naval stations at the entrance of the Mediterranean and tbe Red Sea is a proof Ithat English iDteresta are " world - wide rather than European," our political pedagogue would probably have baen reminded, with tbe most crushing politeness, that Gibraltar ut least is in Europe, and that Aden is not in Australasia nor even in South Africa or British North America. For we may note in pass ing that tha "world" of which Sir Robert Stoat is so fond of speaking as coincident with English interests, beems to mean Australasia and the South African and North American colonies. It is (rue that he places India ia the category of colonial possessions when it auitg him to inai9t on the feebleness and isolation oi England without her colonies. But >n this case again, a visit to the Oid Country and a little conversation with a moderately intelligent clerk at the India Office might have enlightened him. Indeed, a few words in private with some of his o>vn dominies in the colony might hare helped him in time to the discovery that India is a dependency of the' British Crown, which the Qaeen rules under tbe name of Empreg3 ; that it is in no respect a colony, nor ever likely to separate from England. The whole article bears traces of having been written by a mere theorist, — a man who etodiep great in his closet. Bnt this ia only to be expected of a man who publicly pins his faith to statistic} and estimates the importance of an Empire by the number of square miles which it contains. Being a theorist he simply accepts as gOßpsl truth the newest statement ia the English translation of the last German book which happens to suit his preconceived theory whether it be on surpassing excellence of the American navy, or -the relation of juvenile crime to State education. The fact in that it only Sir llbbert had vieited Eagland, he woaid have learnt that the commercial interests of England in Europe are so great as absolutely to necessitate her interference in European politics, and that he is really asking her to withdraw her protection from all her subjects engaged in peaceful pursuits in Europe, and to sacrifice them ( to tbe •' world-wide interests " of South Africa, North America, and Aoßtralia, not omitting, of course, Sir Robert's own bantling, the Kermadc-c Islands. How great th a ae European interests are, may be gathered from the remark of Count Schouvaloff that " It England bombarded St. Petersburg, OJeesa or even Constantinople, she would do far more damage to Epe:lißh property than to anybody else's." The Premier has also fallen into the error, bo common among theoretic Radical?, of assuming that the Suez Canal is only im- ~ portant to Kaglaod ac a mi(i(ary highway for herself in time ef war. But any man of business in London (or Glasgow either for that matter) conld have told him that England's influence at Constantinople and in Europe generally, is necessary to prevent the canal being blocked by any States may be at war, while Eagland is at peace. What would be the result to Australian commerce if England withdrew from all attempt to influence the course of politics at Constantinople, and Turkey or any oth^r Power were /eft free to close tho canal whenever it suited them, without the fear of having to reckon with England's navy ? Moreover is not tbe Suez (Janal (apart from military questions) the shortest commercial route to India? And is noi India (when it evils Sir R bert Stout to say so) one of England's ' colonial ' pcßBeasions ? While we are on the subject of India wo may remark that perhaps tho most startling revelation of that combination of assumption and utter ignorance to which we have retried ie the Premier's alluaion to the regulation which obliges Indian Civil Service probationers to pass two years at an English University. His quotiog it has all the dictatorial tone of the quondam pedagogue about it. (> This will have to be altered," said the P.emier of New Zealand, ao though he were looking over a little boy's exercise, " as universities in the colonies can give just as suitable teaching for the purpose aB that obtainable in the older universities of the Empire." Poor DomiDie Stout ! eurely a man of biß " world wide " erudition must of coarse know that the study of Indian probationers ia almost entirely limited to the study of Indian law and Indian languages. And if he had gone Home he might possibly have condescended to pay a visit to Oxford or Cambridge and might have discovered there paofeeeora of " world wde " fame (though unknown to him) who teach these eubjectf. And does he think that people at Home are 80 simple as to believe that i there is a single teacher ot these subjects in all the universities *of South Africa, North Aaaericß, Australasia, and the Ker- | enftdec 18'ands ? 2a fact if poor Sir Robert i had only 'gone Home, it is just possible, but pfihaps this is almost too much to hope, yet it is just possible that he might d^ve burnt his beloved artic'.^. By doing bo ht would have saved bis own credit aud that uf tbe eoloiay in more ways than. oae> ,

for the general comment in the city is, "Don't send your money to a place whose premier taiks nonsense in print."

£ b. d. Spiritß 13 \ 1 Tobacco bl 4 6 Sundries 10 1 7 £87 11 2