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There are people in Australia who
will have visions of an Imperialism
involving political machinery like an
Empire Parliament or an Imperial Council
to control defence and foreign policy.
They are few in number and mostly inco-
rrect. The political delegates of twenty
years and a library of ponderous volumes
have failed, naturally enough. to evolve a
policy that will conserve to the Do-
minions their complet self-governing
rights, while centralising government of
the most vital activities of national life
in London. Imperialism of the mechanical
order— as dimiinct, from the devotion oi free
ptroples. to impure and race — lues lost even
the vugor neccssniw to a political bogej'.
IlK decline was . ihpid from the time the
naval subsidy was diHcontinucd in favor of
ap AuKtnttian d:'.\-v. At the Jast election,
v.hcn cci.tam Iibor lauiera jKiddcd t.heir
indictment of thes Government with fustian
about JmjKim'lim. nobody took' notice.
Vv';tii.s io the ciTect; tiliat Australia's isclf-
| governing rights were to l>c Jinrrendcred
i caused no tremors, for the simple reason
| that inteliigcnt people kiH?w better. An
i li!);>ciLo (. onrcrorux U3 ro be 1kM m
\ liindi;:! in .June to li5Jcm?s several ques-
| turns of Australian buix»rtanco, inciudhig
j dofoiice, the |x?sition of the
Domaiuons in ra;xct to tlie 'J reatv
| and -judeinnilios. the renewal ol th -lapa-
. Lic-n-U,. a. id uic futirre control ol
! foi'oi'_'n policy. An JnifXirial Conference!
; cannot, of eoum, bind any Dominion,
j Were the Ih-imo Minister, who is to repn:-
i sent Australia, to ngTec to a proposal- that
did net suit Australia's ophiiona" on- these
. lUiitt-i.s ib would be repudiated. rt sucii
j a happening could not help brine- mwhif-
| vous, ;iud it should be avoided. Of Mr.
j Hushes s jirescnt opinions on Imperial
j defence, and the relationship of the Do-
mnrioj; i> lorc-ign jxviicv. Ihe Kctlcral i'ar-
T IutIihu, knows Inlb: and the majority of
j the jieop'le nothing. 'Jbe views lie intends
j to cxpivvs on belialf of Australia
\ with rcipcet to matters that cou-
j com it giavc-ly arc known , only
to hiniseli. In ordinary, circumstances a
; .Miiic.i-t <k> ivpir.5eni.rt Australia abroad
| Jaw iii'.'irueUoiis ixom the Cabinet
, wlin h j,s i (:.>potisih!e to Pariianient arid tlic
j j>eopk>. According to a fairly long and
: general experience, tiio pros:n.t Federal
; CiiuuicL, following an xHustnoun cxainple
| jii liwtion, iUscci-laniM itn own opinions on
j most limtiei-H by asking I\fr. Hugiies. Sir
j doseph Cook will have memories of the
dci.crcntiii.1 way in wliicli lie was consulted
when. Willi uncommon fortitude, be acted
an the l'rime Minister's fellow delegate and
silently enoured. Mr. -Hughes ought not io
be permitted to 1<;hvl' for the Impei-jal Con-
Icrenoe ii» an 'imitation oi an autoci-it
who .thinks he has the power to say and
do on behalf of thin country exactly what
hi- pleasL-.-.. On a. willing and wiltul poh-
t.ca.l jKjiforiner like the m em.bg r for
Bciungo the Cabinet rem— tlie rein held
by this Cabinet at all events — is not strong
enough, if representation at the Imperial
Conference is to bo of any value, it ought
to' be a true repixsentatiori of Australia's
dominant tbougln-. I his can be best ascer
tained by Piulnunentarv and public discus-
sum. ibji? clue; subjecU lor debate at tlic
; Imperial Conference are known, and the
I Prime Minister ought to seek his instruc-
i tioiis b> means oi a Parliamentary dcbatc.
J i aihnjr fcuei, Parliament ought to insist
upon rfs authority. A Ministerial statement
j and a free discnssion , in Parliament arc
I good means oi informing the public about
i their own affairs, and they lead to the ex-
j- predion of views throughout,, the country,
j This Parliament lias been very docile
| under tne Ministerial rod. bni. the Cabinet
j ought to understand from existing indifn-
tions tliat it may soon develop a will of its
| own'. Mr. .Hiij-hos slionlfi ,to tlie Im-
| );oriiil (.'oTiforence his -iiiarructions
! lilinm; AmfinOm o wishos. or he -should nol
i eo at all.
i " ' . -
i ;
I Tlte ito«-ly olecteff president o£ tire Aus
tralian Natives' Association put his finger
on un important aspect ref public life in
I Australia when lie drow attention to tlie
! tact tliat the younger men 111 the eom-
|mi:nny do not seem to bo taking the same
! interest as they took 30 or 40: years ago
| in public affairs. His deduction 16 drawn
1 Irom tlie fact that until recently the nvc-
rago ago at which members joined the-
| A.N.A. was 24.) years: to-dav the average
j age is da years, '.llie soundness of tlie
i deduction may be challenged by the argu-'
; mcnt tliat the nature of thetassociation
! may have changed. Undoubtedly, there is
some justification lor the contention that
it. lias become more of a mutual bcncS-
society and loss oi a national organisation
jBut - re is d-ho.,; members that: anakn: the
jft'oeiation, aiKP'ft ' it is; ' no' I6WCT,:''tho
nu\sev.v that it was for politicians and.
public men, the reason can only be that
there is less demand for sueh un organisa
tion. fbcre is, besides, ample other, evi
dence to show that the fire of yonth burns
less brightly in Australian politics. The
conduct of public affai.-s is drifting into
the hands of' old men — old not merely in
years, but in tlie guile and cunning that
come from long political experience. . The
host hour of our political -history 'Was
before the Liberal and Labor parties be
came separate political machines; when
they represented tho youthful spirit of
democracy, and fought, with indiscretion
at times, but with vigor and with bright
ideals, for great and clear-cut issues. Nowa
days there is nothing iu our political life
but cautious hedging and compromising.
Tho old men care less for principles than
they do for the comforts of place. There
is more humbug and insincerity and tank
dishonesty than there ever was before,
mainly because our politicians are old
hands and long experienced professional
playere of -the game. It is ever becoming
more difficult to reuse public opinion on
any important national question because
the public has lost faitujn the honesty ana
sincerity of government. What is wrong
with our political life, is that it has lost
the fresh angle-mindedncss— right or wrong
— which, in general, is an outstanding
quality of youth. We need young men in
Parliament, and w« need young men out
side of Parliament to take a.largcr interest
in the government of. their country. There
could he no worthier ambition for the
A.N, A. to entertain than that, of winning
back the position it oner; occupied as the
instrument by which young men made
themselves acquainted with public affaire,
and lis tbc oz-ganisaticn through which they
were given t-he -opportunity of distinguish
ing themselves before the public eye.
f
Western Australia has distinguished
itself by electing the first woman member
of an Australian Parliament. Mrs. Cowan's
victory in a straight-out fight against a
Cabinet Minister is an even greater achieve
ment than that performed in England by
Lady Astor, who merely stepped into her
husband's political shoes. The new lady
member of the Western Australian Parlia
ment has a record of public service that
evidently commended itself to the electors
in tho West Perth constituency. So far
from being danger to her chances, her sex
was probably the deciding factor that
determined her election. There may have
been some charm in the novelty of the idea
of sending a woman to Parliament; there
may have been an ebullition of quizzical
humor at the thought of the flutter and
consternation that would be caused by the
intrusion of a female into precincts hitherto
strictly monopolised by the male: but
these factors would account for very few
votes, and Mrs. Cowan no doubt owes her
majority to the fact that the electors have
realised that there is need, particularly in
the domestic government of the country,
for the special knowledge, abilities and
sympathies of women. The wonder is that
the election of women to the Australian
Parliaments has been so long delayed- It
was the natural corollary of granting
women the franchise, and in that respect
Australia led the world. England was
years behind in granting woman
suffrage, but not only has England had a
|woman member of Parliament long before
Australia, but the women in England have
all along played a more direct part in local
government. At least ten years ago
woman members of municipal councils had
erased to become a rarity in England and
Scotland. For some reason or other the
women in Australia have preferred to
dissipate their political energies behind the
scenes. They have taken a keen interest
in politics, and their, vote has often been
the deciding factor in the elections. But,
whether through modesty or apathy, they
have not used their organisations to put
representatives of their own sex into Par-
liament. Now that Mrs. Cowan has broken
the tradition in Western Australia, we may
have a new order of things. A leavening
of capable and sensible women, experienced
in social work, particularly amongst their
own sex, would be welcome in most of our
governing bodies. State Govemments and
municipal councils deal with domestic
affairs that closely concern the women in
the community. Through lack of know
ledge, or understanding, or sympathy, men
may make grave mistakes that would never
have been committed had a woman been
given a say in the matter. There
is of course, the possibility of curious
complications against which the good
sense of the community will have to
guard itself. A Parliament composed
wholly or mainly of woman politicians is
not a prospect to be regarded with en
thusiasm. Were political office to become
the ambition of the fair sex and were
standing for Parliament to become the
latest craze of fashion, there would be
many dreary and neglected homes through
out the country sacrificed on the altar of
political ambition.
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