Chapter 176: The Suitcase and Edward VII
If the economic forecasts from some newspapers about New Zealand's future in the coming years have stirred unease and fear among its people, then Arthur—and the Australia behind him—are seen as New Zealanders' last straw of hope.
The official who gave the speech seized on this sentiment, boldly comparing the British Empire with Australia, and ultimately drawing a troubling conclusion: that joining Australia would be more promising—or perhaps more suitable—for New Zealand than remaining under British rule.
What's unsettling is not the conclusion itself, but the impact it could have on New Zealand's political situation.
After all, New Zealand is still under the rule of the British Empire. Although the current Governor-General is Arthur, the Duke of Australia, this merely fuels the imaginations of New Zealanders.
To say that breaking away from the British Empire and embracing Australia is something rational New Zealanders haven't seriously considered would be inaccurate.
It's not that they have no expectations of Australia, but the prestige of the British Empire as the world's foremost power still looms large, and New Zealand remains a self-governing colony of the Empire.
It's akin to New Zealand being the British Empire's concubine, secretly stealing away with the Empire's own son—Australia.
Of course, there's also the background of New Zealand being independent of Australia, like a child of Australia in its own right...
Hmm? It's getting a bit tangled, isn't it?
In any case, that's the reality of the situation. If New Zealand wants to join Australia, it first needs to get past the British Empire.
But naturally, where there are rational thinkers, there are also extremists—or people whose ideas are more radical and less grounded in reason.
This speech caused a huge stir in the hometown of the member of the United Party who delivered it. Due to the considerable influence that this member held there, many people supported the speech, and the number of those who backed the conclusion grew.
Like a prairie fire, it spread rapidly—in less than a week, the idea had taken hold across New Zealand's North Island and was beginning to influence the northern part of the South Island as well, continuing to spread wildly.
Rational thinkers were, after all, in the minority—especially in this age of ignorance when the public was easily swayed.
Starting December 25, massive protests broke out in major cities across New Zealand, demanding a national referendum to let all New Zealanders decide the nation's fate.
The flame of protest spread from Auckland, the largest city in the far north, all the way to Christchurch in the South Island—New Zealand's most developed and essential region, including both islands.
The number of demonstrators kept growing, and even workers involved in reconstruction efforts on the West Coast of New Zealand began leading a dual life: rebuilding during the day, protesting at night.
The colonial government of New Zealand and both the upper and lower houses of parliament held an ambiguous stance on this national-scale protest—neither expressing approval nor issuing any opposition.
One can hardly blame the colonial government—without any statement from Arthur, the Governor-General, what right did these regular officials have to stop the demonstrations?
Would Arthur intervene?
The answer is no. Although these protests occurred sooner than Arthur had anticipated, that didn't mean he would pass up this golden opportunity to merge New Zealand with Australia.
Still, to remain discreet—and not allow the British to suspect he was involved—Arthur announced that he would not participate in the turmoil in New Zealand and left it to the elected members of the House of Representatives and the colonial government to resolve the crisis.
On December 29, 1903, as the year was coming to a close, the situation in New Zealand created quite a stir in Europe.
After all, one of the key figures in this incident was the British Empire, the most powerful nation in the world. The whole event seemed like a civil disturbance within the Empire itself, and all of Europe was watching with schadenfreude, waiting to see how Britain would respond.
Meanwhile, David Martins Simons, Chief of European Affairs for the Australian Royal Family, visited the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Imperial Russia. While the purpose of his visits was not publicly known, based on his demeanor upon leaving each country, it appeared he had achieved his goals.
On January 1, 1904, Chief David visited the British Empire to meet one of the key figures in the New Zealand incident: Edward VII, the current monarch of Britain.
Edward VII did not look pleased at first. After all, the British Empire was the criticized party in this affair. Even though Edward VII had long expected New Zealand to part ways with the Empire, doing so in this manner was ungraceful, to say the least.
David had anticipated this. He respectfully presented three handwritten letters, along with a tightly secured modern suitcase.
David's European trip wasn't exactly a secret, and Edward VII knew where the letters had come from—and what they said.
So what really piqued Edward's curiosity was the suitcase. But when he opened it—or rather, when he saw its contents—he felt a pang of regret.
"Where did you get this?" Edward VII's expression shifted constantly—at times dark, at times shocked, and even tinged with fear and remorse.
"His Highness gave it to me, Your Majesty. He said that once you saw the contents of this suitcase with your own eyes, you would understand just how important it is to maintain friendly relations with Australia," David said calmly.
Edward VII's reaction made it clear just how important the contents were. But as a loyal servant and subordinate, David understood very well that curiosity can kill a man.
Don't ask what you shouldn't. Don't do what you shouldn't. That was the life lesson David had distilled from decades of experience, and he lived by it faithfully.
"Hmph! Very well! Did Arthur ask you to relay anything else?" Edward VII asked through gritted teeth.
"His Highness said the current situation in New Zealand was inevitable—the typhoon simply made it arrive a decade earlier. His Highness hopes the British Empire will support the referendum in New Zealand. Regardless of the outcome, it will be one the people of New Zealand are satisfied with," David responded.
Edward VII stared at David for a long time. David maintained his usual calm demeanor, as if nothing at all were happening.
In the end, Edward VII gave in. He slammed the documents in his hand down on the desk and said, "Tell Arthur he's won. The British Empire will support the will of the New Zealand people. But also pass along a message for me: I hope that this document is the only copy in the world. He is a member of the British royal family, and he should know how important the royal family's reputation is."
That document was the final trump card Queen Victoria had left for Arthur—and the greatest piece of incriminating evidence against Edward VII.
If it were ever made public, the damage to Edward VII personally and to the British royal family would be irreparable. It could even lead to a weakening of royal power in Britain.
That was something neither Edward VII nor Arthur wished to see, and one of the reasons why Arthur had never made the document public.
Now the document had finally served its purpose—justifying Queen Victoria's efforts to collect it and entrust it to Arthur.
Having secured Edward VII's promise, David departed the British Empire tactfully.
Though few knew the exact contents of the conversation between Edward VII and David, judging by David's relaxed expression upon leaving—and the shards of decorative items scattered around Buckingham Palace—it was clear that some destruction had occurred in Edward's office after David left.
(End of Chapter)
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