have for our future
governance, in this year of grace 1888, have both come into view
entirely out of season. The spirit of the times has rendered
impossible any further toleration of the arrogance which is based on
historical self-glorification. The gentlemen of Trinidad, who are
struggling for political enfranchisement, are not likely to heed,
except as a matter for indignant contempt, the obtrusion by our author
of his opinion that "they had best let well alone." On his own
showing, the persons appointed to supreme authority in the Colonies
are, more usually than not, entirely unfit for [77] holding any
responsible position whatever over their fellows. Now, can it be
doubted that less care, less scruple, less consideration, would be
exercised in the choice of the satellites appointed to revolve, in
these far-off latitudes, around the central luminaries? Have we not
found, are we not still finding every day, that the
brain-dizziness--Xenophon calls it kephalalgeia+--induced by sudden
promotion has transformed the abject suppliants at the Downing Street
backstairs into the arrogant defiers of the opinions, and violators of
the rights, of the populations whose subjection to the British Crown
alone could have rendered possible the elevation of such folk and their
impunity in malfeasance? The cup of loyal forbearance reached the
overflowing point since the trickstering days of Governor Irving, and
it is useless now to believe in the possibility of a return of the
leading minds of Trinidad to a tame acquiescence as regards the
probabilities of their government according to the Crown system. Mr.
Froude's own remarks point out definitely enough that a community so
governed is absolutely at the mercy, for good or for evil, of the man
who happens to be invested with [78] the supreme authority. He has
also shown that in our case that supreme authority is very often
disastrously entrusted. Yet has he nothing but sneers for the efforts
of those who strive to be emancipated from liability to such
subjection. Mr. Froude's deftly-worded sarcasms about "degrading
tyranny," "the dignity of manhood," &c., are powerless to alter the
facts. Crown Colony Government--denying, as it does to even the wisest
and most interested in a community cursed with it all participation in
the conduct of their own affairs, while investing irresponsible and
uninterested "birds of passage" (as our author aptly describes them)
with the right of m