ladstone foresaw the United States a people of
six hundred comfortable millions, living in union before the end of the
next century. The hegemony of the English-speaking nations seems likely
to be within attainment by that one of them which appears destined to
become far the most powerful of all in numbers, in wealth, and in
security of environment. Time may show to our successors in this world
some effective method of establishing agreements amounting to that
solidarity for English-speaking action which has been acclaimed as
existent for English-speaking thinking by a mind so eminently reasonable
as that of Lord Haldane.

It would be hasty, thinks Sir Wilfrid, and it might be injurious for the
British countries to move toward any sort of formal union ostensibly
tending to set them collectively apart from the United States. Give
great beneficent ideas time to develop. Britons can well afford to take
their time, since the war has shown existent among them an almost
perfect union of sentiment and purpose. And this, apparently, with the
blessed effect of enhancing general American good-will to Britons. From
so much good understanding more may ensue, Sir Wilfrid concluded.

Such Canadians as hold Edmund Burke to have been a spokesman of
consummate political wisdom are apt to regard the busy stir of
doctrinaires, who scream for closer political junction of the British
peoples, even as Burke regarded the hurry of some of the same kidney in
his time. Resolute to bind the thirteen colonies forever to England,
they proceeded to offend, outrage, and drive those colonies to
independence. Be it remembered that these colonies had contributed so
loyally, so liberally to England's armaments and wars that grateful
London Parliaments had insisted on voting back to them the subsidies
they had granted, holding the contributions too generous. To later
proposals of foolish henchmen of George III., proposals that the
colonies, since they had revealed themselves as strong and rich, should
be dragged into some formal political subordination by which, as by
latter-day Imperial Federation, they might be involuntarily mustered and
taxed for imperial purposes, Burke said:

Our hold on the colonies is the close affection which grows
from common names, from kindred blood, from similar
privileges, and equal protection. These are the ties which,
though light as air, are strong as links of iron. Let the
colonies always keep