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Once again, a strong argument in proof of its practicability is that it has been accomplished elsewhere. For instance, take the British Empire. It includes England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, with their distinctive nationality; besides which are her dependencies in India, South Africa, the East, Canada, and Australia, with their various races of men, all under one Sovereign.
Germany is an instance, coming closer to the spirit of Federation. In that great Empire there are twenty-six States or Colonies, having an area of land amounting to 208,683 square miles, and a population of 50,000,000. Its people include Germans, Prussians, Austrians, French, Poles, and Jews, and many other nationalities, and yet they are now united as one Empire. Since its union in 1871 it has made rapid progress. It is now amongst the first nations of the earth, and a leading one in the art of war, education, commerce, and manufactures.
The United States of America is a nearer case in point. At its constitution it only included thirteen States, now it has in union thirty-eight States, six Territories, and one Federal district. Its area of land is 3,008,400 square miles, and its population is estimated for next year at 70,000,000. To show how under federation it has prospered in 1861 the national debt was £593,640,000, but in 1888 it was only £190,000,000, having reduced it in twenty-seven years by the fabulous amount of £403,640,000, and to-day, as they do not wish to further reduce it, they yearly divide the excess of revenue over expenditure between the various States in union. The "Swiss Confederation" is yet another case.
But our strongest argument in support of its practicability is that of Canada. It was constituted a Dominion in 1867. Its area of land is a little more than ours, thus:—Canada, 3,470,257 square miles; Australasia, 3,075,238 square miles. Its population is only about half as many again as ours, whilst at its union it was considerably less. It had all the disadvantages of race, creeds, nationalities, tariffs, and site of federal city to contend with, and yet the seven provinces and a vast territory are now one splendid Empire. Its federal city, Ottawa, was founded for that specific object. It pays its Governor-General only £10,000 per year, and has been honored with Royalty for the position. It is said "that no possession of the British Empire has made greater strides during the last twenty years, whether in trade, wealth, or population." Its trade with Great Britain and Ireland and the States is more than £34,000,000 annually. It has not built up one or two cities at the expense of the others, because the national works carried out, such as railways, canals, etc., have opened up immense trade with existing cities. We therefore contend that if Germany, the United States, and Canada, with all the difficulties they had to overcome, such as time, custom, sentiment, and nationality, could each accomplish and perfect this great work, how much more easily it can be brought about in these colonies, where we really have only two great difficulties, viz., tariffs and site; and where the national sentiment is loudly proclaimed: Australia for the Australians. The writer does not hold up Canadian Federation as being perfect. Their Constitution may be improved. Let us gather from them and others that which will just suit in forming
