Chapter 945: Chapter 704: Independence Referendum
With the Pacific Squadron finally defeated, Arthur was at last able to breathe a sigh of relief and started to plan for Australasia’s future rule in America.
On September 11, 1928, a piece of news ignited public opinion across the entire United States.
The governor of California, Carlhoon, officially declared the State of California independent and established a Provisional Government of California to conduct military control over the entire state and decided to use the upcoming California referendum to determine the new country’s political system and government.
Even now, California still ranked as the sixth most populous state in the United States, with a resident population of about 5.1 million.
onarchic rule was a problem that would be a testament to the governing ability of the few youngsters.
There was a tricky issue: William, as the heir to the throne, was definitely off-limits, leaving Peter and George as the only options to go to America to become king.
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But both Peter and George were too young, with Peter only 13 years old and George just turned 9 years old.
Although the referendum in California could be delayed for some time, barely to when Peter turned 15.
But such an age was ultimately too young, which meant they would inevitably have to go through a period of overt and covert struggles with the government before they could smoothly take control of the country’s power.
Of course, this was under the condition that Peter and George were competent. If they turned out to be mediocre monarchs, then the best outcome would be to delegate power to the government and act as a constitutional monarch, peacefully serving as a symbol of the nation.
After all, with Australasia’s support, they need not worry about the security of their throne; it wouldn’t be too bad to acquire some property and live like a wealthy landowner.
Australasia’s actions continued.
For Alaska and Hawaii, two areas destined to be under their control, there was no way they would be allowed to hold referendums for independence.
However, a referendum did not only have to result in independence; it could also result in joining another country, similar to what the Lone Star Republic had done in the past.
On September 21, Alaska State and the State of Hawaii announced simultaneously that they would hold referendums facing three outcomes: independence, joining Australasia, or remaining in the United States Federation.
Compared to the previous announcements of referendums for independence by California and Texas, the reactions to Alaska State and the State of Hawaii were quite muted.
After all, they were just two states with populations of only a few hundred thousand and were also U.S. territories overseas, so their impact on the Native Land wasn’t that big.
Of course, precisely because these two states only had populations of a few hundred thousand, manipulating the outcome of their referendums was quite simple.
By disqualifying some without voting rights, the real number of votes might only be one to two hundred thousand.
With a dual-pronged approach of public opinion and funding alongside some discreet vote adjustment in the shadows, it was possible to ensure the referendum resulted in joining Australasia.
Indeed, that was exactly what happened.
Such scale referendums were swift, and with the actions of the Australasian side, the referendums quickly moved into the settlement phase.
It took some time to count the votes, and announcing the results too early could make them less credible.
Therefore, the announcement of the referendum results for both states was uniformly scheduled for December, which was also the time destinies of the two states would be decided.
end the east, the American government could even accept the fall of all western regions.
After all, looking at the population distribution, except for California and Texas, which each have populations exceeding 5 million, the most populous state in the west would be Oklahoma with 2.3 million.
In the western states, there are as many as 10 states with populations under one million (not counting Hawaii and Alaska), and even the combined population of these ten states does not match California’s.
But once the flames of independence referendums reached the east, the loss of any of these states would be a severe blow to America, causing the same pain to its government as cutting flesh.
At this time, the difference between the eastern and western United States is something that cannot fully be described by paper figures. But even with just paper figures, there is already a considerable gap between the eastern and western states.
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Although there are several states in the east with populations under one million, these states all share one clear characteristic: smaller land areas.
If we talk about population density, these underpopulated eastern states are still far ahead of their western counterparts.
Moreover, there are a few other significant states in the east, each with a population of over 5 million. Michigan’s loss was already painful for America, and if a few neighboring states were also in danger, America’s rule could collapse in an instant.
It’s worth mentioning that the main battlefield of the Allied Army and the American army lies across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York—three of the most critical regions in the east.
Each of these three states has a population of at least 6.4 million, with Pennsylvania’s population exceeding 9.3 million and New York’s population reaching around 12 million.
Looking at such population figures, the reason why the American government is resolutely resisting in the east becomes clear.
All populations from the western U.S. combined would not equal those of these three states, hinting at the wealth of the eastern United States.
Of course, the most important reason is that these areas are located in the Great Lakes Industrial Area, where industry and the economy are highly developed; it comes as no surprise that the population is enormous.
The states of the western U.S. have not yet experienced the kind of thorough development seen elsewhere, and with economies on the poorer side, naturally, there wouldn’t be too many immigrants willing to move there.
This situation is consistent with that of Australasia. Most immigrants prefer more developed areas, as such areas often represent more opportunities to make money.
The British influence quickly made itself felt.
Under are crucial although the official data only shows around 7.3 million people, the actual population should have reached about 8 million by now.
However, due to the economic crisis and war, the states in America didn’t have time to count their population, and naturally, information about population numbers also wouldn’t be updated.
This situation may continue until the end of the economic crisis and war, either resulting in a victorious America conducting a population census or the victorious countries behind the Allied Army conducting it in the regions they control.
Just like Arthur, who has already decided to carry out a simple population census while holding a referendum in California to determine the exact number of Californian inhabitants.
If things go as expected, California will become an independent country. Its political system can only be monarchic, which is the territory Arthur had decided upon for George or Peter.