[falconer] 1776 and 1914— BRITISH colonial action 247 



fathers and the branch of the family still living as the stock in the 

 old soil. 



To understand the new Empire it must be borne in mind that 

 on the whole the population of Canada (apart from Quebec), Aus- 

 tralia, and New Zealand was until recently fairly homogeneous, 

 and that the incoming peoples were drawn from those classes in Britain 

 which were by degrees receiving the franchise. These circles to 

 whom the power of government was being entrusted were like the 

 average type of person throughout the English-speaking world. In 

 Australia even labour governments have been in power and New 

 Zealand has surpassed all records in social experiment. But Canada 

 was the first to make the endeavour to secure for herself the same 

 privileges as her English and Scotch brothers enjoyed at home, and 

 it was the striking success of this endeavour that has made the new 

 Imperial structure possible. Responsible government has become a 

 cohesive and vital principle, and Canada has a right to her primacy 

 among the other young nations of the Commonwealth because within 

 the old provinces of this Dominion that principle was first formulated 

 and established. 



Further, the attachment to Britain was strengthened throughout 

 the century by the frequent causes of trouble that arose between the 

 Canadian provinces and the United States, even after the war of 

 1812. which were sometimes sufficiently serious to endanger the 

 peace. The distinct individuality of the Canadian people cannot be 

 understood unless their relationship towards the United States is 

 taken into account. There never has been any serious trend towards 

 annexation in any of the provinces, and many Americans assuming 

 that there must be have been astonished to discover that their assump- 

 tion was usual!}'' resented by Canadians. Most Americans under- 

 stood very little about the character of Canada. During the past 

 few years we have heard a great deal as to the part that Canada 

 might pla>- in bringing the United States and Britain together, but 

 until the United States began to comprehend our national life and 

 history, Canada would not have been an efficient interpreter. This 

 fact is all the more surprising because there had been for many years an 

 immense emigration from Canada into the United States. Ontario 

 sent hundreds of thousands of her best sons and daughters into Ohio, 

 Illinois, the middle West and California: and the Maritime Provinces 

 were at times almost drained into the New England States; but the 

 United States living to herself gave no thought to our difficulties or 

 development, and Canadians were content to have it so. It is onlj' 

 within the last decade that a change became noticeable. Since the 



