representative government-第59部分

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eculiarities　and　antecedents　render　considerable　diversities　desirable　in　the　details　of　their　government。　But　if　there　is　a　real　desire　on　all　hands　to　make　the　experiment　successful；　there　needs　seldom　be　any　difficulty　in　not　only　preserving　these　diversities；　but　giving　them　the　guarantee　of　a　constitutional　provision　against　any　attempt　at　assimilation；　except　by　the　voluntary　act　of　those　who　would　be　affected　by　the　change。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Chapter　18　　　　　　　　　Of　the　Government　of　Dependencies　by　a　Free　State。

　　FREE　STATES；　like　all　others；　may　possess　dependencies；　acquired　either　by　conquest　or　by　colonisation；　and　our　own　is　the　greatest　instance　of　the　kind　in　modern　history。　It　is　a　most　important　question　how　such　dependencies　ought　to　be　governed。　　　It　is　unnecessary　to　discuss　the　case　of　small　posts；　like　Gibraltar；　Aden；　or　Heligoland；　which　are　held　only　as　naval　or　military　positions。　The　military　or　naval　object　is　in　this　case　paramount；　and　the　inhabitants　cannot；　consistently　with　it；　be　admitted　to　the　government　of　the　place；　though　they　ought　to　be　allowed　all　liberties　and　privileges　compatible　with　that　restriction；　including　the　free　management　of　municipal　affairs；　and　as　a　compensation　for　being　locally　sacrificed　to　the　convenience　of　the　governing　State；　should　be　admitted　to　equal　rights　with　its　native　subjects　in　all　other　parts　of　the　empire。　　　Outlying　territories　of　some　size　and　population；　which　are　held　as　dependencies；　that　is；　which　are　subject；　more　or　less；　to　acts　of　sovereign　power　on　the　part　of　the　paramount　country；　without　being　equally　represented　（if　represented　at　all）　in　its　legislature；　may　be　divided　into　two　classes。　Some　are　composed　of　people　of　similar　civilisation　to　the　ruling　country；　capable　of；　and　ripe　for；　representative　government：　such　as　the　British　possessions　in　America　and　Australia。　Others；　like　India；　are　still　at　a　great　distance　from　that　state。　　　In　the　case　of　dependencies　of　the　former　class；　this　country　has　at　length　realised；　in　rare　completeness；　the　true　principle　of　government。　England　has　always　felt　under　a　certain　degree　of　obligation　to　bestow　on　such　of　her　outlying　populations　as　were　of　her　own　blood　and　language；　and　on　some　who　were　not；　representative　institutions　formed　in　imitation　of　her　own：　but　until　the　present　generation；　she　has　been　on　the　same　bad　level　with　other　countries　as　to　the　amount　of　self…government　which　she　allowed　them　to　exercise　through　the　representative　institutions　that　she　conceded　to　them。　She　claimed　to　be　the　supreme　arbiter　even　of　their　purely　internal　concerns；　according　to　her　own；　not　their；　ideas　of　how　those　concerns　could　be　best　regulated。　This　practice　was　a　natural　corollary　from　the　vicious　theory　of　colonial　policy…　once　common　to　all　Europe；　and　not　yet　completely　relinquished　by　any　other　people…　which　regarded　colonies　as　valuable　by　affording　markets　for　our　commodities；　that　could　be　kept　entirely　to　ourselves：　a　privilege　we　valued　so　highly　that　we　thought　it　worth　purchasing　by　allowing　to　the　colonies　the　same　monopoly　of　our　market　for　their　own　productions　which　we　claimed　for　our　commodities　in　theirs。　This　notable　plan　for　enriching　them　and　ourselves；　by　making　each　pay　enormous　sums　to　the　other；　dropping　the　greatest　part　by　the　way；　has　been　for　some　time　abandoned。　But　the　bad　habit　of　meddling　in　the　internal　government　of　the　colonies　did　not　at　once　terminate　when　we　relinquished　the　idea　of　making　any　profit　by　it。　We　continued　to　torment　them；　not　for　any　benefit　to　ourselves；　but　for　that　of　a　section　or　faction　among　the　colonists：　and　this　persistence　in　domineering　cost　us　a　Canadian　rebellion　before　we　had　the　happy　thought　of　giving　it　up。　England　was　like　an　ill…brought…up　elder　brother；　who　persists　in　tyrannising　over　the　younger　ones　from　mere　habit；　till　one　of　them；　by　a　spirited　resistance；　though　with　unequal　strength；　gives　him　notice　to　desist。　We　were　wise　enough　not　to　require　a　second　warning。　A　new　era　in　the　colonial　policy　of　nations　began　with　Lord　Durham's　Report；　the　imperishable　memorial　of　that　nobleman's　courage；　patriotism；　and　enlightened　liberality；　and　of　the　intellect　and　practical　sagacity　of　its　joint　authors；　Mr。　Wakefield　and　the　lamented　Charles　Buller。*

　　*　I　am　speaking　here　of　the　adoption　of　this　improved　policy；　not；　of　course；　of　its　original　suggestion。　The　honour　of　having　been　its　earliest　champion　belongs　unquestionably　to　Mr。　Roebuck。

　　It　is　now　a　fixed　principle　of　the　policy　of　Great　Britain；　professed　in　theory　and　faithfully　adhered　to　in　practice；　that　her　colonies　of　European　race；　equally　with　the　parent　country；　possess　the　fullest　measure　of　internal　self…government。　They　have　been　allowed　to　make　their　own　free　representative　constitutions　by　altering　in　any　manner　they　thought　fit　the　already　very　popular　constitutions　which　we　had　given　them。　Each　is　governed　by　its　own　legislature　and　executive；　constituted　on　highly　democratic　principles。　The　veto　of　the　Crown　and　of　Parliament；　though　nominally　reserved；　is　only　exercised　（and　that　very　rarely）　on　questions　which　concern　the　empire；　and　not　solely　the　particular　colony。　How　liberal　a　construction　has　been　given　to　the　distinction　between　imperial　and　colonial　questions　is　shown　by　the　fact　that　the　whole　of　the　unappropriated　lands　in　the　regions　behind　our　American　and　Australian　colonies　have　been　given　up　to　the　uncontrolled　disposal　of　the　colonial　communities；　though　they　might；　without　injustice；　have　been　kept　in　the　hands　of　the　Imperial　Government；　to　be　administered　for　the　greatest　advantage　of　future　emigrants　from　all　parts　of　the　empire。　Every　colony　has　thus　as　full　power　over　its　own　affairs　as　it　could　have　if　it　were　a　member　of　even　the　loosest　federation；　and　much　fuller　than　would　belong　to　it　under　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　being　free　even　to　tax　at　its　pleasure　the　commodities　imported　from　the　mother　country。　Their　union　with　Great　Britain　is　the　slightest　kind　of　federal　union；　but　not　a　strictly　equal　federation；　the　mother　country　retaining　to　itself　the　powers　of　a　Federal　Government；　though　reduced　in　practice　to　their　very　narrowest　limits。　This　inequality　is；　of　course；　as　far　as　it　goes；　a　disadvantage　to　the　dependencies；　which　have　no　voice　in　foreign　policy；　but　are　bound　by　the　decisions　of　the　superior　country。　They　are　compelled　to　join　England　in　war；　without　being　in　any　way　consulted　previous　to　engaging　in　it。　　　Those　（now　happily　not　a　few）　who　think　that　justice　is　as　binding　on　communities　as　it　is　on　individuals；　and　that　men　are　not　warranted　in　doing　to　other　countries；　for　the　supposed　benefit　of　their　own　country；　what　they　would　not　be　justified　in　doing　to　other　men　for　their　own　benefit…　feel　even　this　limited　amount　of　constitutional　subordination　on　the　part　of　the　colonies　to　be　a　violation　of　principle；　and　have　often　occupied　themselves　in　looking　out　for　means　by　which　it　may　be　avoided。　With　this　view　it　has　been　proposed　by　some　that　the　colonies　should　return　representatives　to　the　British　legislature；　and　by　others；　that　the　powers　of　our　own；　as　well　as　of　their　Parliaments；　should　be　confined　to　internal　policy；　and　that　there　should　be　another　representative　body　for　foreign　and　imperial　concerns；　in　which　last　the　dependencies　of　Great　Britain　should　be　represented　in　the　same　manner；　and　with　the　same　completeness；　as　Great　Britain　itself。　On　this　system　there　would　be　perfectly　equal　federation　between　the　mother　country　and　her　colonies；　then　no　longer　dependencies。　　　The　feelings　of　equity；　and　conceptions　of　public　morality；　from　which　these　suggestions　emanate；　are　worthy　of　all　praise；　but　the　suggestions　themselves　are　so　inconsistent　with　rational　principles　of　government　that　it　is　doubtful　if　they　have　been　seriously　accepted　as　a　possibility　by　any　reasonable　thinker。　Countries　separated　by　half　the　globe　do　not　present　the　natural　conditions　for　being　under　one　government；　or　even　members　of　one　federation。　If　they　had　sufficiently　the　same　interests；　they　have　not；　and　never　can　have；　a　sufficient　habit　of　taking　counsel　together。　They　are　not　part　of　the　same　public；　they　do　not　discuss　and　deliberate　in　the　same　arena；　but　apart；　and　have　only　a　most　imperfect　knowledge　of　what　passes　in　the　minds　of　one　another。　They　neither　know　each　other's　objects；　nor　have　confidence　in　each　other's　principles　of　conduct。　Let　any　Englishman　ask　himself　how　he　should　like　his　destinies　to　depend　on　an　assembly　of　which　one…third　was　British　American；　and　another　third　South　African　and　Australian。　Yet　to　this　it　must　come　if　there　were　anything　like　fair　or　equal　representation；　and　would　not　every　one　feel　that　the　representatives　of　Canada　and　Australia；　even　in　matters　of　an　imperial　character；　could　not　know；　or　feel　any　sufficient　concern　for；　the　interests；　opinions；　or　wishes　of　English；　Irish；　and　Scotch？　Even　for　strictly　federative　purposes　the　conditions　do　not　exist　which　we　have　seen　to　be　essential　to　a　federation。　England　is　sufficient　for　her　own　protection　without　the　colonies；　and　would　be　in　a　much　stronger；　as　well　as　more　dignified　position；