§§ 53-54]

Australasian Confederation.

77

§ 54. Effect of Canadian union on Australasia (1866-1890).1 — Notwithstanding the success of the Swiss and German federations, the federal principle seems likely to see its further development in the new worlds. Italy has been unified on a different principle: in the Balkan peninsula the favorable conditions for federal government have led to nothing: the centralized European states show no tendency to create autonomous administrative districts. The only exception is the case of England; with her vast colonial possessions scattered about the globe, England bears a striking resemblance to Athens at the time of her greatest power: and within these colonies there are two centres of federalizing influences. The Dominion of Canada has rather strengthened than weakened the relations of the North American group of colonies to the mother country. On the other side of the globe the conditions are so similar, that a movement is now in progress for the federal union of the Australasian and adjacent colonies. They are rich, prosperous, endowed with nearly independent representative governments, with a common desire to control the South Seas, separated from England and English interests by a wide distance, and already free to legislate in some cases against the mother country. A common danger would probably bring these colonies into a union resembling the Dominion of Canada; and the neighborhood of German colonies seems likely to hasten the result.

The first step in establishing federations in the Pacific was taken by the colony of New Zealand2 in applying, in 1852, for an imperial act giving it a federal government. The country was undeveloped, and the conditions were unfavorable for the growth of provinces as units of government. After a trial of twenty-three years, the federal government in 1875 itself gave up the system, and New Zealand returned to a simple colonial government.

1 Australasian federation. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Publications of the Imperial Federation League (post § 55); Statesman's Year Book, 1889, pp. 966–968, 1890, pp. 295, 296. — HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY. Standard atlases; Dilke, Problems of Greater Britain (1890). - ACCOUNTS AND DISCUSSIONS. Melbourne Review, passim; Debates of the Federal Conference, held Jan., Feb., 1890; Sir Henry Parke in the Centennial Magazine; Dilke, Problems of Greater Britain, 259–275; Engineering, vol. 48, p. 487 (Oct. 25, 1889); Statesman's Year Book; Government Year Book, 1888, pp. 118–121.

2 New Zealand. McGee, Notes on Federal Government (1865), pp. 45-75, with text; R. Stout, Notes on the Progress of New Zealand (1886); J. C. Firth, Nation-Making (1890).

On the continent of Australia the conditions are nearly like those of Canada. The colonies were established separately, and have slowly grown toward each other geographically and politically. Their commercial interests are similar; they can never submit to any divided fate. In race, language, laws, religion, they are practically one.

By an imperial act of 1885 a Federal Council was established for Australasia, expressly intended to prepare the way for a confederation. To this body, consisting of an equal number of representatives from each colony, is committed, under imperial supervision, the control of certain international relations, especially the fisheries. Independent of such supervision, it may regulate intercolonial relations in such matters as the mutual enforcement of judgments. With the consent of the colonial legislatures it may go further. The meetings of the Council have been fruitful chiefly in the exchange of views. In 1890 was held a Federal Conference which served to crystallize public opinion. In February, 1891, will assemble a Federal Convention to draft Articles of Union, probably for submission to the action of the Imperial Parliament.

One of the chief difficulties in the way of Australasian union is the small number of colonies to which the union can apply. The whole continent is divided into five colonies: New Zealand

and Tasmania will add two more. Some power of subdivision. seems necessary. Another difficulty is the great distance of New Zealand, which may prevent that colony from joining the union. It is, however, so clear that federation will be likely to make Australasia a distinct factor in the modern world, that a speedy union is altogether likely.

§ 55. Schemes of Imperial federation (1875–1890).1 — If federation can allay local jealousies, make commerce easy, and unite for defence the power of groups of colonies, might not the same prin

1 Imperial federation. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Boose, List of Publications.- HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY. Lucas, Historical Geography of the British Colonies (1887); standard atlases, especially Black, Stanford, Stieler, Andrée. — ACCOUNTS AND DISCUSSIONS. Publications of the Imperial Federation League; Imperial Federation. Journal of the League (1886-1890); Todd, Parliamentary Government in the Colonies (1880); Traill, Central Government (1881), c. 6, 8; Seeley, Expansion of England (1883); Lorne, Imperial Federation (1885); Dicey, Why England maintains the Union (1887); Franklyn, Unit of Imperial Federation (1887); Partridge, Making of the Irish Nation; Grant, Imperial Federation, a Lecture (1890); Dilke, Problems of Greater Britain (1890), Part VII. — ARTICLES IN PERIODICALS. British Quarterly (Oct., 1884), p. 257; Canadian Monthly,

§§ 54-55]

Imperial Federation.

79

ciple be applied to the whole British Empire? Such is the question asked by many English writers. The demand of the Irish to have their local legislature restored to them accentuates the suggestion. An Imperial Parliament and administration may care for imperial affairs, and local parliaments may devote themselves to English, Irish, Canadian, or Cape Colony affairs, as the case may be. The advantages would be the relief of the English Parliament from Imperial legislation, the participation of the colonists, the removal of an excuse for seeking their independence, and the mutual guaranty of the parts of the Empire by each other. Steam transportation and the telegraph take away the mechanical difficulty of the distance of the members of the Empire from each other. The scheme promises the permanent union of all English-speaking people, except the United States, and would create the most elaborate and mighty federal government in history.

It is this very elaboration which has caused the project to gain ground but slowly, if at all. A federation embracing among its members kingdoms, republican commonwealths, crown colonies with little power of their own, and two powerful federations, suggests a return to the Holy Roman Empire. The more important colonies would surrender their present privileges over commerce, and must assume burdens of taxation and defence from which they are now free. The smaller colonies would have an influence in the common parliament out of proportion to their importance. The dependencies, especially India, are set out of the scheme altogether; they must remain subject territories. To many minds the project seems one of dismemberment, of loss of vitality, of future disruption.

vol. 8, p. 335, vol. 12, p. 232; Contemporary, Goldwin Smith in vol. 45, PP. 524-540 (Apr., 1884), vol. 48, pp. 693–706 (Nov., 1885), Baden-Powell in vol. 50, p. 493 (Oct., 1886); Edinburgh, vol. 170, p. 247 (July, 1889); E. A. Freeman in MacMillan's, vol. 51, p. 430 (Apr., 1885), and Fortnightly, vol. 22, p. 204; Fortnightly, vol. 43, pp. 338, 346 (Mar., 1885), vol. 43, p. 437 (Apr., 1885); National Review, Montague Burrows and Sir Samuel Wilson, in vol. 4, pp. 365, 380 (Nov., 1884), vol. 5, p. 207 (Apr., 1885), vol. 5, p. 606 (July, 1885), Baden-Powell in vol. 7, p. 698 (July, 1886), vol. 8, p. 66 (Sept., 1886); Nineteenth Century, vol. 16, p. 505 (Sept., 1884), W. E. Forster in vol. 17, pp. 201, 552 (Feb., Mar., 1885), Bury and Lorne in vol. 17, pp. 381, 397 (Mar., 1885), vol. 17, p. 590 (Apr., 1885), vol. 19, p. 22 (Jan., 1886); North American, vol. 141, pp. 60, 72 (July, 1885); Quarterly Review, vol. 159, pp. 201, 498 (Jan., 1885); Saturday Review, vol. 62, p. 213 (Aug. 14, 1886); W. Leggo, Imperial Confederation from a Canadian Point of View, in Scottish Review, vol. 6, p. 48 (July, 1885), and vol. 7, p. 340 (Apr., 1886); Spectator, vol. 562, p. 1305 (Oct. 13, 1883).

CHAPTER V.

LATIN-AMERICAN CONFEDERATIONS?

§ 56. Mexico (1824-1835, 1867-1890).

§ 57. Central-American Confederation (1824-1839).
§ 58. Venezuela (1830-1890).

§ 59. Argentine Republic (1860-1890).

§ 60. United States of Colombia (1863-1886).
§ 61. Brazil (1889-1890).

BIBLIOGRAPHIES.

1 Latin-American federations. De Beeche, Bibliografia Americana (1879); Boston Public Library, Catalogue of Ticknor Library (1879); H. H. Bancroft, History of the Pacific States of North America, vols. III, VII-X (1885-1888), on North-American federations only; Levermore and Dewey, Political History since 1815, pp. 107-111; Winsor, Narrative and Critical History of America, VIII (1889), c. iv, v, deals almost entirely with the colonial and revolutionary periods. No useful list of works on Latin-American public law has been found in the bibliographies of public law (post § 465). — TEXTS. In some of the collections mentioned post § 462; some texts in Arosemena, Estudios (1878); most of them in English in British and Foreign State Papers; the later ones in French in the Archives Diplomatiques; a few in Dareste, Constitutions. There are separate publications of all constitutions now in force. - HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY. Lavoisne, Atlas (1821), No. 67; Droysen, Historischer Hand-atlas (1886), Nos. 82-85; standard atlases of modern geography. Maps in Vincent, Around and about South America (1890); Savage, Manual (1889); Bates, Central America, West Indies, and South America (1882); maps in the political geographies published between 1820 and 1870; Ansart, Atlas Historique, Cartes Modernes, 5, 6.-TREATISES. Arosemena, Estudios constitucionales sopre los gobiernos de la America latina (1878); Colmeiro, Derecho constitucional de las republicas hispano-americanas; Seijas, Derecho internacionale hispano-americana (1884-1885); Calvo, Annales historiques (1864-67), on the beginnings of independent government; Savage, Manual of International and Commercial Intercourse between the United States and Spanish America (1889), 417-506. - HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS AND DESCRIPTIONS. Comprehensive accounts of the LatinAmerican governments, taken together, since their independence, are wanting, except the voluminous work of Gervinus, Geschichte des 19ten Jahrhunderts. Historical sketches in the treatises mentioned above: Bancroft, Pacific States, deals only with Mexico and Central America; H. W. Bates, Central America, the West Indies, and South America (1882); Revue Sud-Americaine ( ). - BRIEF ACCOUNTS. Winsor, Narrative and Critical, VIII, 220-232, 334-342, chiefly political; United States Consular Reports; Phillimore, § 121; Calvo, Recueil Complet, II (1863), pp. i-xxxiv; Calvo, Droit International, § 59; Statesman's Year Book (annual); Government Year Book (1888).

§ 56

Conditions of Latin-American Federation.

81

§ 56. Mexico (1824-1835, 1867–1890).1— Side by side with the four governments which are asserting the permanence of national federation has grown up a group of states which prove how much the federal principle depends upon the political character of the people. The history of the Spanish colonies in America closely

1 Mexico. BIBLIOGRAPHIES. Arosemena, II, 195; H. H. Bancroft, Pacific States, vols. IV-IX passim, especially VII, pp. xxi-lxii, 820-829, VIII, 66–70, 147–150, IX, 463– 465, 659-666; Catalogue of Ticknor Library (1879), 226; Biblioteca Mejicana (1869); Brasseur de Bourbourg, Bibliothèque mexico-gautemalienne (1871); Directorio para las oficinas del servicio público de correos de la Repùblic mexicana (1876), pp. 437-533; Ramirez, Biblioteca mexicana (1880); Beristain y Martin de Loaza, Biblioteca Hispanoamericana setentrional, 2 ed. (1883); Anderson, Mexico from the Material Standpoint (1884), pp. 137-156; Winsor, VIII (1889), 266–270; Foster, Reference Lists, No. 90 (Feb., 1884); Dareste, II, 507; Lalor, Cyclopædia, II, 836; R. Clarke, Bibliotheca Americana, 232-234; Statesman's Year Book; Peabody Institute Catalogue, IV, 2883, with periodical articles. - TEXTS. Separate editions of the federal constitutions of 1824 and 1867; British and Foreign State Papers, vol. 13, pp. 695, 704, vol. 25, p. 683, vol. 47, p. 472; Abbott, Mexico and the United States, 283-309; Archives Diplomatiques, III, 252-262; Dareste, II, 475–507. - HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY. Humboldt, Versuch über den politischen Zustand des Königreichs Neu-Spanien (1809), English translation (1822); Cartography of Mexico in Winsor, VII, 553; Foster, References to Presidential Administrations; Zamacois, XVIII, Pt. II, p. 1733. -TREATISES. On the first period no treatises have been found. On the later period: Derecho Internacional Mexicano, official edition, 1878; Gonzalez, Derecho Constitucional, 3 ed. (1879). — HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS AND DESCRIPTIONS. On the earlier period: Alaman, Historia de Mejico (1849-52); Winsor, VIII, 193-232; Poinsett, Notes on Mexico (1825); Ward, Mexico (1829); Thompson, Recollections of Mexico (1846); Mayer, Mexico as it was and is, 3 ed. (1847); Abbott, Mexico and the United States (1869), Part VI; H. H. Bancroft, Pacific States, VIII (1885), 1-150; Bancroft, Popular History of Mexican People (1887); Zamacois, Historia de Méjico (1888, 78–82), 19 vols. — On the present federation there is a large literature, chiefly books of travel: Richthofen, Aeusseren und inneren Zustände der Republik von Mexico (1859); Castillo, México en el Siglo XIX (1875); G. Cubas, Republic of Mexico (1876); Van Bruyssel, Les États-Unis Mexicains (1880); Castro, Republic of Mexico in 1882; H. Conkling, Mexico and the Mexicans (1882); L. Hamilton, Border States of Mexico (1882); G. Cubas, Cuadro geographico, estadico, descriptivo e historico (1884); H. H. Bancroft, Popular History (1887); H. H. Bancroft, Pacific States, IX (1888), 333–665; especially valuable is Wells, Study of Mexico (1887); Abbott, Mexico and the United States; Strother in United States Consular Reports.— Brief ACCOUNTS. Lalor, Cyclopædia, II, 833-837; Dareste, II, 475-477; Government Year Book (1888); Statesman's Year Book; L'Art de Verifier les Dates, 3 Par., IX (1826), 250264; H. H. Bancroft, Pacific States, IX, c. 20; Bastian in Sammlung Wissenschaftlicher Vorträge, III, 463–502 (1869); McSherry, Mexico and Mexican Affairs, in his Essays and Lectures, p. 31- ; J. T. Morgan, Mexico in North American Review, vol. 136, pp. 409-419 (1883). Many other articles in periodicals, especially Nation. BEST REFERENCES. Wells, Study of Mexico; Bancroft, IX, c. 20; Abbott, Study of Mexico; Lalor. Special thanks are due to Señor Romero, Mexican minister, who has furnished several of the above titles.