ssion, financial help would be immediately
forthcoming. They desired information also as to the scope of the
Commission and the terms on which assistance would be given. To this
the answer was inevitable, that all these points must depend upon the
findings of the Commission. In fact, the Colonial Government wished
for an unconditional loan and an assurrance that the Constitution of
the island would not be interfered with. Mr Greene, in turn, proved
unable to hold his ground, and was succeeded by Sir William Whiteway.
The latter substituted for the earlier proposals a request that the
Newfoundland bonds should be guaranteed by the Imperial Government;
the suggested Commission being ignored. This was the request referred
to in Sir William's letter. Now it is very clear that although the
amount involved was relatively small, a very important principle was
raised. Responsible government has its privileges and its obligations,
the latter of which flow logically from the former. The Imperial
Government charges itself with responsibility for the finances of a
Crown colony because it directs the policy and determines the
establishment on which the finances so largely depend. It is not
reasonable to ask that the British taxpayer should assume
responsibility for liabilities incurred by a colony with responsible
government. The _toga virilis_ has responsibilities. The case might,
perhaps, be different if there were no danger that the concession of
help might be drawn into a precedent. But it must never be forgotten
that the aggregate public debts of the self-governing colonies at
about that time exceeded L300,000,000.

The crisis of 1895 has been dealt with at some little length, because
it would be impossible otherwise to understand the occasion of the
great Reid Contract, which will form the subject of the next chapter.
It so happens that the last ten years of the nineteenth century have
been more momentous than any equal period in the history of the
colony.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES:

[41] The census of this year showed that the population had increased
to 146,536.

[42] _Op. cit._, p. 495.

[43] This question of union was frequently raised--notably in 1906,
and during the Great War in 1916 and 1917 (see end of chap. ix.).

[44] Sir Robert Bond, the ex-Premier of Newfoundland; Mr J.G. Blaine,
the American Secretary of State.

[45] House of Commons Papers, Miscellaneous, No. 3, 1910, Cd. 539