At the Heart of the Empire

Mr. President and Gentlemen,

Two years ago it was my great privilege to have the honour to address the members of the Empire Club. The warm cordiality of your reception, your extreme indulgence to one attempting to speak in a language which was not his own, and above all the attentive ear you so kindly lent to my discourse on a rather dry sub jest, "The Problems of Transportation in Canada," made me bold enough to accept with joy, your kind invitation, Mr. President, to appear again today before your members to speak on an entirely different subject.

"At the Heart of the Empire," the title chosen, may seem rather ambitious to many of you, especially for one coming from the Province of Quebec; the heart is the source of life and motion in any organization; it is the chief and vital portion, the centre of activity, and no other word could I find to express adequately the scope and purpose of my short remarks.

Some of you may remember that last year in London a committee of the Lords and Commons was formed for the purpose of inviting representatives of the Dominion Parliaments to be present at the grand and gorgeousceremony and festivities that have marked the coronation of his august majesty, King George V. Canada was asked to name eighteen representatives; Australia, South Africa, fourteen; and Newfoundland, two. The premiers and their colleagues of all the self-governing colonies and provinces had been specially summoned to London by the King and they were, during their sojourn in the capital, the guests of His Majesty; whilst the Lords and Commons Committee invited the representatives of the Dominion Parliament to be the personal guests of its members, who, without any government aid, provided a large fund to defray all the expenses of their entertainment. This committee was composed of the most distinguished members of the Imperial Parliament. The Right Honourable the Earl of Rosebery was chairman, and the Right Honourable W. Hayes Fisher, M.P., acted as deputy chairman. Amongst the members of the Executive were the Right Honourable H. H. Asquith, .Prime Minister of England, and the Right Honourable A. J. Balfour, the leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition, and about forty of the most prominent members of the House of Lords and of the

-House of Commons. The invitation was accepted by our Parliament and thirteen representatives were chosen by our House of Commons and five by the Senate. It was my extreme good fortune to be selected by my colleagues as the delegate from my province, and that venerable old statesman, once premier of Canada, the Hon. Sir Mackenzie Bowell, was named in the same capacity for Ontario.

On our arrival at the "Heart of the Empire," we found that the most elaborate preparations had been made months in advance to secure our comfort at the Waldorf Hotel, and that the most careful and minute arrangements had been planned to utilize every fraction, however small, of our time, in the most pleasant and useful manner, and to afford us a very interesting glimpse of the social life of the rulers of our immense Empire during our short sojourn of two weeks in London.

To enable us to move about with ease and despatch, a fleet of fifty automobiles had been engaged and placed at our exclusive disposal day and night. Our subsequent progress by special trains, through England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, to view the largest industrial establishments and all the principal shipbuilding yards, gave us as good a knowledge of the immense commercial resources of the British Isles as could be obtained in two weeks. It was sufficient to convince us that England was still the mistress of the commerce of the world and very far indeed from being a dying nation. Without venturing to express an opinion on her fiscal policy, we could- not refrain from thinking of what might be the beneficent result of a reform of the tariff that would foster home industries and give work to her, army of unemployed in manufacturing at home the enormous amount of goods imported now from foreign countries. However, in Belfast the immense shipbuilding yards were a revelation; the largest steamer afloat, the Titanic, was just being finished. This steamer had been launched a few days before, and she was moored some distance, from the wharf and connected with it by a long and wide gangway. As it was only a few minutes to five, and as all work stops at that hour in the Belfast yards, we were asked to remain to watch the sight of the men working in the interior of this immense vessel swarm down the gangway four or five abreast. How many do you think came out of this one ship? One thousand, fifteen hundred, two thousand, more than that; twenty-five hundred men, and there were many other ships and thousands of hands employed in the shops besides. This may give you an idea of the importance of this industry.

On our way to Glasgow we sailed very slowly up the Clyde on a special steamer, admiring leisurely both shores of the river alive with humanity. For miles and miles, legions and legions of workers were building ships and floating docks. At Newcastle on Tyne, the small rivulet called the Tyne, once two or three feet deep, has been excavated for many miles and changed into a mighty river accommodating ships drawing thirty feet. Here Swan and Hunter were building a floating dock of a lifting capacity of 3,200 tons for the Admiralty. This was then the biggest dock in the world, a credit to British workmanship, but we were astonished to see that the huge cranes actually used in the work had been made in Germany.

Some of the famous Armstrong shops are situated at Newcastle; here a turret for a British man of war weighing 140 tons was actually lifted and put in place in our presence in a few minutes, to show the representatives the facility with which such a huge mass could be moved.

The workmen, knowing of our visit, had thoughtfully written in large letters in the bright sawdust covering the floors the words, "Welcome cousins." This simple and cordial greeting went straight to the heart of the representatives, showing once more that the masses were no less enthusiastic in their welcome than the members of the Lords and Commons Committee. Evidence of this brotherly feeling were manifested almost everywhere we went; the streets were often lined with people, anxious to see the men who had come from Australia, South Africa, or Canada. Many of them, no doubt, had friends or perhaps sons in this distant land. It was as if we brought them glad tidings from the absent ones, and they expressed their joy by lusty cheers.

May I be permitted to mention the special Royal favour accorded to the representatives by His Majesty, as a mark of his deep interest in the Overseas Dominions. First, they had the distinguished honour of being presented at the levee at St. James' Palace. Then they were invited by His Majesty, the King, to an afternoon party at Buckingham Palace and finally, before their departure from London, Their Majesties King George and Queen Mary specially received the representatives and their wives and daughters.

One of the first and certainly one of the most interesting of the large social functions was the luncheon of welcome tendered to the Dominion representatives in, Westminster Hall. Within its historic walls, replete with the memories of past ages, they had the great privilege of seeing or meeting the most illustrious, men who rule the destiny of the Empire and the premiers of the .Overseas Dominions, with their colleagues, also the premiers of State and Provincial Parliaments.

Time forbids to dilate over this unique occasion or on the incomparable speech of the chairman, the Earl of Rosebery, or of the other speakers, or even to mention some of the great names of those present. Let it' suffice to say that all the living great men in the Empire at home and abroad had assembled to do honour to the representatives of the Dominion Parliament.

The Guilds, those essentially English institutions, vied with one another in offering the most gorgeous hospitality, to the representatives; luncheons, dinners, and receptions were given in their honour by the Worshipful Company of Drapers, the Worshipful Company of Vintners, the Worshipful Company of Mercers, and the Worshipful Company of Grocers, etc.

Large luncheons and dinners were also given by Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Teck, by the Earl of Plymouth, and private dinners by Lord Blyth, the Earl of Derby, the son of a Governor-General of Canada, Lord Stanley, by the Earl of Horrowby, by Lord Northcote, by Lord Brassey, by Lord Strathcona, and by many others. These few names have been mentioned simply to show the personal interest taken by the members of the committee in entertaining the representatives who also visited as guests many beautiful country seats, like Cliveden, and Taplow Court, in the environs of London, and all over the Provinces. We were also, I was forgetting to mention it, the guests of the cities of Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, and Newcastle.

Charming and interesting as these social functions were, they were entirely eclipsed by the impressive splendour of the marvellous pageant of the coronationthe Royal .Progress from Buckingham Palace to Westminister Abbey and the incomparable ceremonies of the consecration of the King in that ancient fane.

The British Empire offered on that day the most admirable spectacle. At the very heart of this vast Empire, in London, in the Ancient Abbey of Westminster in a magnificent setting of architecture, oriflammes and rich draperies, in the presence of the highest dignitaries of his court, and of the representatives of all his peoples and delegates from all the nations, at the foot of the same altar where knelt his ancestors of the mighty house of Hanover, His most High and Most Gracious Majesty, George V, received on his brow the double crown of King and Emperor. Great Britain gave a noble example to all the world in uniting in a ritual almost coeval with Christianity, the worship of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe with the traditional worship of Monarchy. Now, under the beneficent reign of the ancient house of Hanover as in the remote ages when the dynasties of the Saxons, the Normans, the Plantagenets, and the Stuarts succeeded one another on the throne, the King is sure of the respect and fidelity of his people. George V is twice sacred in the eyes of his subjects, because his crown, already precious by many centuries of glory, shines with divine halo borrowed from the splendour of Westminster, while its purest refulgent rays come from Heaven.

As Christians we were proud to see our Sovereign with his crown and the insignia of his Majesty kneeling before God and asking the King of Kings for the confirmation of his power and the inspiration of his life. The solemn grandeur of the Abbey is a severe and potent rebuke of modern materialistic ideas. The spectacle of many thousands of his fellow men arrayed in all the evidences of worldly wealth and consideration, yet reverently bent in contemplation of things unseen and eternal, is one that must convince the most frivolous of the verities that underlie all creeds.

It was in such an atmosphere that the King and Emperor took the vows of fidelity to God, to duty, and to the nation, a magnificent testimony to faith and an example to other nations. In that great consecration the King had all the world for witness. What enormous changes, what portentous growth since the coronation of Queen Victoria seventy-three years ago!

The population of London was then one and one half millions; now it is over seven millions. Modern science has brought the component parts of the Empire closer together. In 1838 the idea would have been absurd of bringing to the capital to march in a procession Indian troopers, cavalry from Canada, militia from Australia and New Zealand. The soldiers from the Punjaub and Australasia could not have been brought at a cost of less than a million sterling, and their journey to London and return would have occupied one year..

After, the coronation, the most important and grandest spectacle was the review of the fleet by His Majesty the King at Spithead on the 24th June. So much had been said and written in Canada on the paramount importance of the supremacy of the British navy during the last few years that the review was of special interest to your representatives. They fully realized that the whole fortunes of our nation and Empire, the whole trade accumulated by centuries of sacrifice and achievement, would perish if our naval supremacy was in danger. To us the review at Spithead was a wonderful revelation and inspiration. Four lines, each one six nautical miles in length, of battleships, armoured cruisers, protected cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats, and submarines, offered a demonstration of strength which appeared irresistible.

It was a scene never to be forgotten, when His Majesty, wearing the uniform of a British admiral and standing erect on the bridge of his ship, plainly visible

r against the sky line, moved between the long lines of his navy amidst the loud cheers of his sailors and the booming of heavy guns firing a royal salute, with all flags entirely unfurled by a stiff breeze, under the dazzling rays of a bright sunshine.

The optimistic speech of the first Lord of the Admiralty, the Right Honourable Winston Churchill, at Glasgow the other day would lead us to believe that the mother country does not want the colonies to contribute to the navy. This is not the sentiment as we found it. Mr. Churchill emphasized the fact that England had all the money and men she required to distance all the other nations in building ships and manning them. He also assured the world that the two-power standard could be easily obtained and that England was seeking no quarrel and fearing no one.

This sounds very well, but as we survey the situation in the world with calmness, we are bound to admit that there has been an enormous change within the last year. Then France had the only large fleet outside of, England. What do we find today? The United States have constructed a great number of modern battleships, and they are constantly increasing them in number, size, and efficiency. They will be an important factor especially in connection with the Panama Canal. Japan has recently given a most remarkable demonstration of her strength as a sea-power in the war with Russia, and must be considered in any operations in the Orient. Can a sufficient number of squadrons be withdrawn from the environs of the North or German Sea to protect British possessions on the Atlantic and the Pacific without weakening the home fleet or leaving some points exposed to an attack from the German navy?

That is the problem for these dominions to consider seriously: whether it would not be wise and patriotic to devise immediately some means of protecting their own sea coasts, in spite of the apparent great confidence of the Right Honourable Mr. Churchill.

Have you ever stopped to consider where is the great lever which regulates the machinery of this vast Empire retarding or accelerating its motion with equal precision throughout the British possessions? This is the place Sir Max Aitken, M.P., actually showed me as we were strolling in the lobby of the House of Commons. He pointed to me the exact spot where the members are counted by the whips as they file out of the House into the lobby for a division. Here was the place where the destinies of the Empire are settled.

Here was the "Heart of the Empire" whose pulsations reached the uttermost regions under the British flag.

Here was the place where one single member might decide the most momentous questions, nay even peace or war, not only for the British Isles but for the whole Empire. I stood silent and almost overcome with emotion as I remembered that the whole of Canada had absolutely no influence with one single member of that House, not even as much as the least of his electors.

I thought the time had come when the thirteen millions of white people in the self-governing colonies should be allowed a voice in these decisions affecting themselves, even at the cost of assuming heavy responsibilities.

I have mentioned air Max Aitken's name. Will you permit a short digression to say that he is one of that brilliant galaxy of Canadians headed by Bonar Law who are distinguishing themselves in the Imperial Parliament; he already plays an important role in the councils of the Unionist party, and last summer he was selected to second a vote of want of confidence proposed by the Right Honourable A. J. Balfour and on that occasion he captured the ear of the House with an able speech. When one remembers that he is only two and thirty, and what he has already accomplished, it is safe to predict that he will perhaps at no distant date be one of the leaders of his party, and in due course, of the Empire. These few Canadian members are the forerunners of the peaceful but sure evolution which is coming with the same certainty as day follows night.

As soon as local parliaments are- established in England and Ireland, in Scotland and in Wales, a truly Imperial Supreme Council will assemble in Westminster. In this new and world-wide Parliament, every British citizen of the selfgoverning colonies will be represented like the residents of the British Isles. The constitutional rights of the component parts of the Empire will be jealously guarded, and in the now famous words of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, we will have local autonomy based on Imperial unity. The great Overseas Dominions join not only in the symbolical pageant of the coronation but in the processional march of the ages. Gradually, but surely and naturally, they fall into step without compulsion and without conscious violation because most are of the same blood, and the same ancient traditions impel them to consentaneous motion. ' In that lies the greatness and the permanence of the Imperial idea and the secret of its hold on the men living under the most varied conditions.

We should do well to consider closely what this attractive and cohesive force depends upon in its ultimate analysis; whether it appears to belong to consanguinity or rather to its unquestionable power over men of other races by virtue of the fundamental principles of our polity guaranteeing them liberty and equality before the law.

Not the exploits of soldiers, not the intrepidity of seamen, not the loud wrangling of party, not the fumbling of statesmen, has built the British Empire. Not any of these things alone can maintain the vitality of the Empire. It is the product of millions upon millions of undistinguished people, for generation and generation, who have been content to do inconspicuously the duty that lay nearest them. The King at his coronation took upon himself very solemn obligations toward his church and his people as their chief magistrate. Each of us has his share in these obligations and, whether he will or no, must play his part in strengthening or undermining the foundations of Empire.