the canadian dominion-第33部分

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and　military　preparations　on　the　part　of　all　the　powers　of　Europe。　A　new　scramble　for　colonies　and　possessions　overseas　began；　with　the　late　comers　nervously　eager　to　make　up　for　time　lost。　In　this　reaction　Britain　shared。　Protection　raised　its　head　again　in　England；　only　by　tariffs　and　tariff　bargaining；　the　Fair　Traders　insisted；　could　the　country　hold　its　own。　Odds　and　ends　of　territory　overseas　were　annexed　and　a　new　value　was　attached　to　the　existing　colonies。　The　possibility　of　obtaining　from　them　military　support　and　trade　privileges；　the　desirability　of　returning　to　the　old　ideal　of　a　self…contained　and　centralized　empire；　appealed　now　to　influential　groups。　This　goal　might　be　attained　by　different　paths。　From　the　United　Kingdom　came　the　policy　of　imperial　federation　and　from　the　colonies　the　policy　of　preferential　trade　as　means　to　this　end。

In　1884　the　Imperial　Federation　League　was　organized　in　London　with　important　men　of　both　parties　in　its　ranks。　It　urged　the　setting　up　in　London　of　a　new　Parliament；　in　which　the　United　Kingdom　and　all　the　colonies　where　white　men　predominated　would　be　represented　according　to　population。　This　Parliament　would　have　power　to　frame　policies；　to　make　laws；　and　to　levy　taxes　for　the　whole　Empire。　To　the　colonist　it　offered　an　opportunity　to　share　in　the　control　of　foreign　affairs；　to　the　Englishman　it　offered　the　support　of　colonies　fast　growing　to　power　and　the　assurance　of　one　harmonious　policy　for　all　the　Empire。　Both　in　Britain　and　overseas　the　movement　received　wide　support　and　seemed　for　a　time　likely　to　sweep　all　before　it。　Then　a　halt　came。

Imperial　federation　had　been　brought　forward　a　generation　too　late　to　succeed。　The　Empire　had　been　developing　upon　lines　which　could　not　be　made　to　conform　to　the　plans　for　centralized　parliamentary　control。　It　was　not　possible　to　go　back　to　the　parting　of　the　ways。　Slowly；　unconsciously；　unevenly；　yet　steadily；　the　colonies　had　been　ceasing　to　be　dependencies　and　had　been　becoming　nations。　With　Canada　in　the　vanguard　they　had　been　taking　over　one　power　after　another　which　had　formerly　been　wielded　by　the　Government　of　the　United　Kingdom。　It　was　not　likely　that　they　would　relinquish　these　powers　or　that　self…governing　colonies　would　consent　to　be　subordinated　to　a　Parliament　in　London　in　which　each　would　have　only　a　fragmentary　representation。

The　policy　of　imperial　cooperation　which　began　to　take　shape　during　this　period　sought　to　reconcile　the　existing　desire　for　continuing　the　connection　with　the　mother　country　with　the　growing　sense　of　national　independence。　This　policy　involved　two　different　courses　of　action：　first；　the　colonies　must　assert　and　secure　complete　self…government　on　terms　of　equality　with　the　United　Kingdom；　second；　they　must　unite　as　partners　or　allies　in　carrying　out　common　tasks　and　policies　and　in　building　up　machinery　for　mutual　consultation　and　harmonious　action。

It　was　chiefly　in　matters　of　trade　and　tariffs　that　progress　was　made　in　the　direction　of　self…government。　Galt　had　asserted　in　1859　Canada's　right　to　make　her　own　tariffs；　and　Macdonald　twenty　years　later　had　carried　still　further　the　policy　of　levying　duties　upon　English　as　well　as　foreign　goods。　That　economic　point　was　therefore　settled；　but　it　was　a　slower　matter　to　secure　control　of　treaty…making　powers。　When　Galt　and　Huntington　urged　this　right　in　1871　and　when　Blake　and　Mackenzie　pressed　it　ten　years　later；　Macdonald　opposed　such　a　demand　as　equivalent　to　an　effort　for　independence。　Yet　he　himself　was　compelled　to　change　his　conservative　attitude。　After　1877　Canada　ceased　to　be　bound　by　commercial　treaties　made　by　the　United　Kingdom；　unless　it　expressly　desired　to　be　included。　In　1879　Galt　was　sent　to　Europe　to　negotiate　Canadian　trade　agreements　with　France　and　Spain；　and　in　the　next　decade　Tupper　carried　negotiations　with　France　to　a　successful　conclusion；　though　the　treaty　was　formally　concluded　between　France　and　Britain。　By　1891　the　Canadian　Parliament　could　assert　with　truth　that　〃the　self…governing　colonies　are　recognized　as　possessing　the　right　to　define　their　respective　fiscal　relations　to　all　countries。〃　But　Canada　as　yet　took　no　step　toward　assuming　a　share　in　her　own　naval　defense；　though　the　Australasian　colonies　made　a　beginning；　along　colonial　rather　than　national　lines；　by　making　a　money　contribution　to　the　British　navy。

The　second　task　confronting　the　policy　of　imperial　cooperation　was　a　harder　one。　For　a　partnership　between　colony　and　mother　country　there　were　no　precedents。　Centralized　empires　there　had　been；　colonies　there　had　been　which　had　grown　into　independent　states；　but　there　was　no　instance　of　an　empire　ceasing　to　be　an　empire；　of　colonies　becoming　self…governing　states　and　then　turning　to　closer　and　cooperative　union　with　one　another　and　with　the　mother　country。

Along　this　unblazed　trail　two　important　advances　were　made。　The　initiative　in　the　first　came　from　Canada。　In　1880　a　High　Commissioner　was　appointed　to　represent　Canada　in　London。　The　appointment　of　Sir　Alexander　Galt　and　the　policy　which　it　involved　were　significant。　The　Governor…General　had　ceased　to　be　a　real　power；　he　was　becoming　the　representative　not　of　the　British　Government　but　of　the　King；　and；　like　the　King；　he　governed　by　the　advice　of　the　responsible　ministers　in　the　land　where　he　resided。　His　place　as　the　link　between　the　Government　of　Canada　and　the　Government　of　Britain　was　now　taken　in　part　by　the　High　Commissioner。　The　relationship　of　Canada　to　the　United　Kingdom　was　becoming　one　of　equality　not　of　subordination。

The　initiative　in　the　second　step　came　from　Britain；　though　Canada's　leaders　gave　the　movement　its　final　direction。　Imperial　federationists　urged　Lord　Salisbury　to　summon　a　conference　of　the　colonies　to　discuss　the　question　they　had　at　heart。　Salisbury　doubted　the　wisdom　of　such　a　policy　but　agreed　in　1887　to　call　a　conference　to　discuss　matters　of　trade　and　defense。　Every　self…governing　colony　sent　representatives　to　this　first　Colonial　Conference；　but　little　immediate　fruit　came　of　its　sessions。　In　1894　a　second　Conference　was　held　at　Ottawa；　mainly　to　discuss　intercolonial　preferential　trade。　Only　a　beginning　had　been　made；　but　already　the　Conferences　were　coming　to　be　regarded　as　meetings　of　independent　governments　and　not；　as　the　federationists　had　hoped；　the　germ　of　a　single　dominating　new　government。　The　Imperial　Federation　League　began　to　realize　that　it　was　making　little　progress　and　dissolved　in　1893。

Preferential　trade　was　the　alternative　path　to　imperial　federation。　Macdonald　had　urged　it　in　1879　when　he　found　British　resentment　strong　against　his　new　tariff。　Again；　ten　years　later；　when　reciprocity　with　the　United　States　was　finding　favor　in　Canada；　imperialists　urged　the　counterclaims　of　a　policy　of　imperial　reciprocity；　of　special　tariff　privileges　to　other　parts　of　the　Empire。　The　stumbling…block　in　the　way　of　such　a　policy　was　England's　adherence　to　free　trade。　For　the　protectionist　colonies　preference　would　mean　only　a　reduction　of　an　existing　tariff。　For　the　United　Kingdom；　however；　it　would　mean　a　complete　reversal　of　fiscal　policy　and　the　abandonment　of　free　trade　for　protection　in　order　to　make　di