INDIA'S PERIL

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 259, 25 July 1908, Page 10

INDIA'S PERIL

EXPLOSIVES AND PRESS BILLS PASSED. ; STRONG SPEECH BY LORD MINTO. In tho Viceregal Council at Simla on Juno 8, tho Government's Bills dealing with explosives and tho Press wore introduced and passed. Tho former is almost identical with the English Act, wllilo tho latter deals with iiapors publishing criminal incitements, nnd gives.power to confiscate'printing presses on which such matter is'produced, and to stop tho issue of the offending papers. Tho procedure providod for follows in its general lines the criminal procedure code dealing with public nuisances, with tho addition that tho final ordor of the magistrate directing the forfeiture of tho press may be appealed against to tho High Court within fifteen days. • , It is also providod that' no action shall be taken .against tho Press save on •an application from tho local government. 011 the. issue of an ordor of forfeiture by a magistrate .the local- government is empowered to roqiiiro that'an annual declaration be. made by . tho printer and publisher under tho. Press Act of 1867,, and the production by-'him of any other.-paper or; a similar nature is prohibited. Spoaking on ;tho Explosives Bill, .Sir. Hair? voy Adamson said that the Government-had to cope with-an organised ; band of cducfited men,.,banded together against all tho 'interests' . that ; kopt society alivo. . The danger must be mot in a cool and resolute spirit; their plans must be strangled, v and tho authors put down.. Sir Harvey paid a special tribute to tho Bengal polico, and added:, "It is not my business, to increaso excite-, ment, but to allay panio, .but I cannot conceal from tho Council my conviction that the danger is great and imminent, and that it -is necessary to act quickly and with a strong hand.' ; Tho oxisting law is absolutely unable to-deal with tho new crime." Sir Harvey said that-the, Government held that tho public safety demanded the passing of the Newspaper -Bill with, the utmost possiblo dispatch. , It- wis not directed against sedition,- with' which the existing criminal law would deal, .but against a Press which' incited men to murder, to. armed rcvolt, and .to secret diabolical Isphomes. It was, .in. no 'sense a repressive, measure, '"' i'Thb' ohly* native .members, present heartily supported the Explosives Bill,,. but strongly regretted" the : hasty. manner in which ' the Press Bill was being .passed. . They sugested that. a month; should be • allowed for the discussion of tho Bill. .

!, Sir Harvey Adamson replied that it would be criminal folly to. delay the Bill 0110 day.

: Lord Minto.said: —' ' ' "The lamentable incidents at Mozafferpore sent a thrill of horror throughout India, and too clearly warned us that we must bo propared to, deal immediately with an iniquitous conspiracy and with murderous' methods hitherto, unknown in India; .There havo'been other atrocious deeds. As to Mr. Kingsford, tho public havo been told, both in,lndia and at Home, that the attempts on his life woro duo to the infliction by hipi of sentences of floging for political offencos, ail unwarrantable accusation, which I ain glad to havo ■tho opportunity of denying, against one who has -fearlessly and . straight-forwardly dono, ■his duty.'1 In not a single case has Mr. Kingsford awarded flogging: as a punishment ; for-political offences.- - "We all know, at least everyone .who watches • the daily story of Indian political lifei'kn'owSj that the ' lilies 'Of•arb: changing, , that embryo national aspira-. tions are beginning "to take and it will be a bad day for. the British Raj and a-bad day for tho peoplo of this country, if we. ever allow the belief to spread that dpctrines of murderous anarchy aro. even indirectly asociatcd with the growth of those ambitions which, British education has dene so much to encourago. ,

"It is quite possiblo that our Bills may not bo- strong enough. In that caso we :sha-ll.nbt ; fail to-amend-them, but tho News- : 'paper: Bill .in'-no- Way takes the placo of a general Press Act, and in no way tics our hands as to the future introduction of such an Act. In my ;opinion a further general control of the Press in India is imperatively necessary. I beliovo'it would be welcomed bjy tho best-Indian newspapers. -India is not ripe for complete freedom.; of the Press,-and it, is unfair to her people that for daily information, such as it is', they should ba dependent upon unscrupulous caterers'of literary poison.. -. , . ;' "lly some irony /of fate tho outrages for, which that'poison is already so largely an : ,' swerable'havo been sprung upon us almost upon tho evo of the' introduction of constitutional changes.;/'I, am determined that no anarchical crimos will' for an instant deter me :from endeavouring to.;meet,'' as best I can',/, the political: honest re:fdnhers,"..and I ask ;tho popple of India,, and all/who havo. the..future 'welfare of/this; country/at; heart; Vto units ' in support of la w . and order,' and .to join in one common effort to eradicate ' cowardly ' conspiracy ' from ' : our midst."—Router.