ANTI-NATIONALISM.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 13144, 28 November 1906, Page 7

ANTI-NATIONALISM.

Lord Milner -was presented the other day, at- the London office of the Imperial South African Association, -with an address from the inhabitants of Cape Colony, bearing over 25,000 signatures. Sir Lewis Michell, an' ex-Minister of Cape Colony, summarised the address by saying that it represented the sentiments of those who learnt on the spot to estimate at its right value the splendid courage with which his lordship upheld the honour of the Empire, at a critical moment when a smaller man would have proceeded on lines of less resistance. In the course of his reply Lord Milner spoke with some force of an element in public opinion at Home which 'affected his rule in South Africa. It was a very grave fact and 1 a, real danger that so large number of people in England—-whenever their country's interests were at stake in 'any part of the world—always felt compelled by their conscience to side against her. No doubt they were animated by the best motives. But. they were so intensely desirous to be fair to their country's enemies that they ended by being unfair to her friends.. In fact- they developed a eort of animus against those who, in any part of the world, took the side of England. South Africa'had suffered, and was still suffering in a quite

special degree-from-'the anti-mtio'ißdr'tfcfi! anti-British party at home. These excesses of anti-nationalism in this country to which he had referred* might seem too preposterous to be dangerous—a thing to be laughed at. But it,'was a mistake to laugh at them. They might at any moment lead to the gravest trouble. It was only the great skill aind promptitude with which the people of Natal suppressed the native rebellion which had" saved us' from a pro-Zulu agitation in Great Britain. It ha dalready begun. Now pro-Zuluism in its naked form mayappear ridiculous, but £he pro-Zulu-spirit was always at work in some insidious ways. It wag the same spirit which was so intensely alarmed lest the power of Britain should be unjustly used that it strove to keep our country weak, which meant making our Empire a prey and a temptation to the rapacity of all the world. Anti-nationalism waS a great and growing factor, and it threatened not only South Africa but every part of the Empire as well as our security at home. But in his opinion its power : was' partly due to the fact that so many people-had not yet taken, it seriously, did not realise how great the danger was. Once jthey did realise : ' it he believed there would-:be a tremendous rally, not only in tmV Country but in our] great Colonies —he was not sure .that some of the self-governing colonies were not sounder in the essential principles-of policy than we were at home —arid. that men of British race throughout the world were not going to tJet their great inheritance of a common citizenship and the magnificent estate by. their forefathers: to be. thrown away by the anti-national'fanatics: \! They were going to stand - hands, across the ..'sea—for. the. unity and,; the " strength-wf "the Empire" gainst the!: most dangerous: of : all the 'forces, 0f .workings from: ~;withiri;•. >..■ • :■?