ULTIMATE POLITICS. 71 



coin? — that great man of English blood and name — cannot one ad- 

 mire and laud the so-English-named Grant, Lee, Sherman, and their 

 valorous brethren in arms, in race, and in language? — without 

 coming under any just suspicion of insincerity in avowed devotion 

 to Canadian nationalism and British Union? I hesitated a little at 

 the term " British Union," since it happens that, to my way of think- 

 ing, pan-Anglicanism or English-speaking union is not only a greater 

 idea than British Union, but tha:t the latter may be best promoted in 

 accordance with the former. 



At risk of wearying you I will discourse a bit on this theme. It 

 seems to me that a formal union of the British English-speaking 

 countries, a union newly binding the Dominions to or with the United 

 Kingdom, is impracticable; that the advocates of such new union 

 propose political retrogression for not only "the overseas Dominions" 

 but for the United Kingdom; and that such a novel "Empire" is 

 undesirable. It is undesirable partly because such novel, formal Brit- 

 ish Union would newly, and almost expressly, exclude the essentially 

 English Republic, whose inclusion, however informally or tacitly, 

 seems to me necessary to the ultimate success and safety of the 

 English-speaking peoples. I share the belief that a sufficient and 

 most formidable pan-Anglican Union, such as Cecil Rhodes dreamed 

 of, can and will arrive by so simple a process as British decentraliza- 

 tion and the more or less deliberate cultivation of goodwill all round 

 between language-brethren. This view seems to me continually more 

 agreeable to our brethren of the Republic. I do not allege this at 

 random, but as one who has- long been on the lookout, daily, for 

 " signs " pro and con. 



If the King's subjects continue to proceed according to the 

 unique English genius for decentralization (which implies mutual 

 confidence, and which therefore promotes such confidence), then 

 the King's geographically separated Dominions must each become 

 truly independent of the venerable Mother of Parliaments, while 

 continuing in fraternal relation with the United Kingdoms and with 

 one another, by reason of the Crown's common supremacy. The 

 King's realms would thus be in peace-league but not in war-league. 

 The defence of each, according to its situation in the world, would 

 be the business and duty of each, respectively. Collectively the 

 realms would thus become ever and more armed and more formid- 

 able. Their tendency to become a war-league on sufficient occasion 

 would be increasingly strong, by reason' of their fraternity. At the 

 same time each would be independently and newly able to cultivate 



