Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/577

* IMPERIAL FEDERATION. 503 IMPERIAL MOTH. more cl>->sely. At present the only formal tie l)etveen the various parts of the British Empire is the Crown. Many of these parts being so dis- tant, of such diverse local interests, and having no representation in the Imperial Parliament, must naturally drift into complete independence, unless some reconstruction of the British Con- stitution be eli'eeted which shall retain and strengthen the interests of the self-governing col- onies in the Empire. For several years this question has occupied the minds of British states- men. In 1884 a gathering of leading mem- bers of both the Liberal and Conservative parties, in London, under the presidencj' of the Right Hon. W. E. Forster, resulted in the formation of the Imperial Federation League. A practi- cal scheme of federation, prepared by a special committee of the League, was presented in 1892. It recommended the establishment of a council of the Empire, on which the chief self-governing colonies should be represented, including India and the Crown Colonies. This Council should deal with Imperial defense, to which each part of the Empire should contribute. The adoption of this report marks the end of the stage of gen- eral discussion without any definite plan, and the beginning of the period for taking steps to bring the matter to an issue. As the work for which the League was founded belonged rather to the first than the second stage, and as the members differed as to the best plan to be followed, it was decided to dissolve the League at the end of 1893, in order that there might be complete freedom in deciding on practical steps. Its place was taken by several organizations, among which are The United Empire Trade League, The British Empire League, The Imperial Federation (De- fense) Committee, and The Unity of the Empire Association. Besides these there are many socie- ties in the various colonies. A conference which met in Ottawa June 28, 1894, composed of delegates from nearly all the self-governing colonies, marks a step in the prog- ress of the movement. The object of the meeting ■was to promote the development of trade within the Empire by means of improved intercolonial communication. The keynote of the discussions was loyalty to the mother country' and a deter- mination to maintain intercolonial solidarity. Thus the conference ser-ed to bring about a mutual acquaintanceship and to arouse a feeling of intercolonial kinship. There are several prac- tical difficulties to be encountered. Critics of the project doubt if the mother country' would jier- mit herself to be outvoted by a combination of the colonics, or whether each part would be will- ing to aid the others in matters not directly af- fecting itself. The various colonies have differ- ent tiiriff systems, some being strongly protec- tionist, and it is a question whether these last would agree to the free-trade preferences of the mother country, or whether England would modi- fy her jiolicy to please thoni. The basis upon ■vhich India could be included within the union is also a matter frequently discussed. These and other problems, it is asserted, must be solved before the federation can be accomplished. On the other hand, the project has received the warm approval of a large section of the British and colonial press, and of men of such widely differing political views as llr. Forster. Lord Randolph Churchill, Sir .John Lubbock, and Mr. Cecil Rhodes. The growing intimacy be- tween the parts of the Empire, as shown by the conference of 1894, and the gradual reduc- tion of the barriers of time and distance, augur well for the success of the movement. The exist- ence of a real and practical, though not formal, union is demonstrated by the aid furnished to the mother country in the Transvaal War of 1899- 1902, and in the Chinese fighting of 1900. Many persons see a strong tendency toward ultimate Imperial federation in the recent federal unions of Canada (q.v. ) and Australia. See Austba- LIAK FeDER.MION. IMPERIAL INSTITUTE OF THE UNIT- ED KINGDOM, THE COLONIES, AND INDIA. A memorial of the tjueen's Jubilee of 1887, which is a public institution in South Ken- sington intended to contain "sample collections of the natural products and resources of every portion of the British Empire, so arranged and displayed as to be of practical benefit to commer- cial business men, and to allow of scientific re- search by every class of students." It is fur- nished, therefore, with laboratories and with reading and lecture rooms as well as with ex- hibitorj- departments. The University of Lon- don is now housed also in the buildings of the Imperial Institute. For a description of the building, with illustrations, consult in Magazine of Art, March, 1890, an article by Sir Somers Vine. IMPERIALISM. A term originally applied to the character and spirit of that form of gov- ernment known as an empire (q.v.), and con- noting absolute power vested in the hands of a single ruler. More recently the term has been generally used to describe the policy, pursued by various nations, of establishing 'world pow- ers' through the extension of their rule over other and especially inferior races of mankind, and, sometimes, through the acquisition, on whatever motive, of new territorj- lying outside their 'natural' boundaries. The policy, when logical!}' carried out, results in the establishment or maintenance of colonies or outlying depend- encies. In Great Britain the term is sometimes applied to the doctrine which calls for the closer union, into a so-called Imperial Federation, of the component parts of the British Empire. With reference to the questions of expansion of territory and extension of power, there has been much discussion in recent years, especially in Great Britain and the United States. In the former country those favoring such a policy are popularly known as 'Jingoes.' and those op- posing it as 'Little Englanders.' Each acquisi- tion or attempted acquisition of new outlying territory by the L'nited States has met with much opposition, and the opposition was particu- larly pronounced at the close of the Spanish- American War, when a group of citizens, who soon came to be known as 'Anti-Imperialists,' vigorously contended against the acquisition by this country of the Philippines and Porto Rico. By various political leaders and a large number of voters 'imperialism' was regarded as the 'paramount' issue in the Presidential campaign of 1900. IMPERIAL MOTH. The largest of the 'royal moths' iIin.<iilo)in imprrinlis). sulphur yellow marked with purplish brown. The wings expand from four to five inches; the larva is thinly clothed with hairs and bears spiny horns on the