Show DECADENCE OF THE COLONIAL SYSTEM australasian Austral asial union la Is one of the topics of the times which calls forth comments from the leading journals Jour nala of the world it is modeled somewhat after the american plan while it maintains the sovereignty of the mother country each of the five colonies which it is proposed shall unite in one commonwealth is to remain separate as to local government but subject to such powers as it concedes in common with the other colonies to the general government free trade to is to prevail among them all the federal authority to is to control foreign relations the military and naval forces and the customs and duties which are to provide revenue the governor general to is to be appointed by the queen but the parliament is to tobe be elective and to consist of two houses I 1 if f this scheme to is adopted by the people the australian commonwealth will wilf no doubt move forward to national importance and flourish to a much greater extent than the colonies have nourished ouri shed heretofore the movement to is commendable the indianapolis news commenting upon this step remarks the colonial system all of it which did not fau fall with a crash when these american colonies rebelled in bled gradually afterward the old idea was that colonies were I 1 possessions 11 an am indeed they the are still called landed ended estates in tais this that or another part of phd world owned by the mother country and worked ll 11 like a plantation for the benefit of the mother country tut that idea is dead and it is a question of the death of the colonial system unless the federal idea can take its place fy stop a bit Is it a fact that the old colonial system is dead has the old idea about colonies bei being 11 possessions po sessions been entirely dissipated row how about the possessions of the united states called territories are they not treated as the mpr yf of the federal government ophe the doctrine which now prevails in this country Is that the national authority is supreme absolute and exclusive in these satrapies satra pies and provinces the indianapolis nw says home rule local autonomy states rights is the repository and safeguard of liberty 29 how much liberty theu then exists in the territories if it is to be measured by home rule the liberty enjoyed in the territories is of but small dimensions men it is in time that this anomalous territorial system should cease this nation should be as the fathers of our country intended a union of free and sovereign states each equal to the others in political lotical rights and privileges each EI having ving its ite local autonomy fully preserved and all enjoying equal liberty Every true democrat ought to labor to this end for while the territories exist in their present manacled mana cled condition republican government does not prevail devail throughout the country and the the democratic principle is set at naught for the consent nt of the governed is not given and their views are not even sought for or treated with the slightest consideration the colonial system with its tyranny and misri misrule ile is in not yet dead even in the great and glorious republic of the united states |