76 THE SHADOW OF THE WORLD’S FUTURE 
Such a fact concentrates one’s attention upon the 
nature of the right of occupation of territory. 
This right of occupation may be regarded from two 
points of view, one concerning itself with the legal 
aspect merely, the other concerning itself with the 
moral aspect, or what may be called the right of the 
occupants to hold the territory as against all comers, 
and equitably so from an international or world 
standpoint. In this connection it is well to bear in 
mind that, from the widest standpoint, and also from 
the point of view of a people with insufficient territory 
for their maintenance and development, the right of 
the occupants of all territories tends to be regarded, 
at least by those in overcrowded countries, as rela- 
tive rather than absolute. And one of the principal 
measures of the relative right will naturally, and 
perhaps justly, be conceived to be the effectiveness of 
occupation. This, however, has to be broadly under- 
stood, as we shall see later. 
Throughout the world’s history, civilised peoples 
have gone into other countries and have replaced 
inferior and barbaric peoples. Sturdy, vigorous and 
informed races have possessed themselves of territories 
occupied by peoples who do not possess such attributes 
in the same degree. Recent examples are the United 
States, South Africa, and Australia. This is a world- 
advantage. 
Wherever the population-density is relatively slight, 
and that of near countries or regions is relatively great, 
the condition exists to bring into sharp prominence 
the issue of migration. The impulsion is reinforced 
when one of the countries is decidedly over-populated 
and the other is as obviously under-populated, and 
particularly so when they are near to one another. 
Whether such world-conditions are agreeable or not, 
this is the fact, and it would be fatuous not to keep it 
in view, a matter which will now be considered.