The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1909. A NEW CHAPTER IN INDIAN AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 419, 30 January 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1909. A NEW CHAPTER IN INDIAN AFFAIRS.

_ Dtjking tho last few months, tho growing discontent of the young India party against British rule has passed beyond the stage of vitriolic -articles in Babu English, and taken the more doadly form of actual vitriol and bombs. A succession of daring outrages against high officials has led to 'grave misgivings in many minds that the unrest of India may be deeper, more widoly spread, and fraught with greater danger to British rule than has boon generally supposed. The Secretary of State for India (Lokd Moeley) and Governor-General (Loed Minio) have both declared their conviction that ,the present movement is a passing phaso, ■which will succumb to wise administration. More encouraging than mere expressions of opinion is the fact that important measures aro being taken to repress, by the shortest, sharpest means, tho violenco of the revolutionary fanatics, and at tho same time to win over, by reasonable concessions and reforms, the podorato natives whose' chief grievance is'that the people of India have not a sufficient voice in the administration of their own affairs. At tho same time, Great Britain's military hold on the dependency is strengthened By the consolidation of authority which, as stated in a cable message yesterday, Lokd Kitchener has'at last soeured from his contest with, the civil executive.

The two great principles'which are to govern' for the futuro the British admin-, istration in India—the meeting of forco with force, and reasonable aspirations with safe concessions—were laid down in notable addresses of the Governor-Gen-eral and the, Secretary of Statp for India on Thursday, December 11, and the following Thursday. The occasion of Lord • Minto's speech was the debate, in the Vico'rpy.'s Assembly'at Calcutta, on' a how Act.; intended to accelerate the trial of anarchical offences, and prevent the oncape- of guilty, persons owiag to dokj'Bi

anij needless formalities of the law. The Act, which was adopted without opposition, provides for the trial of theso of-' fences by a bench of three Judges of the High Court. No formal commitment is required, but the case will be propared for trial by an impartial inquiry before a Magistrate, and the trial will be withoiit a jury. There is an interesting' provision that evidenco previously given before a Magistrate may. be admitted' at the trial if the witness has died in tho meantime, or cannot be produced, and the High Court has reason to believe that his death or absence has been caused in. the interest oi, tho accused/ Members of associations that encourage acts of violence or intimidation may be imprisoned or fined,.and thp directors of.such associations shall receive' sentences of- three yoars, in addition to a fine. The Act: will .bo: first applied to Bengal, Eastern Bengal,' and Assam, but the Governor-Gen : oral is given power to extend it to other provinces,;;;. The Earl of Minto;. in fending these drastic proposals in the; interest of the public safety, said ; tbat' recent offences had opened a new chapter in the history of Indian sedition, \ "They have .taken us •:far : beyond- J treasonable pamphlets;. and revolutionary ■ speeches. They, have shown- us the results of those preachings, antf are laying bare before us the workings of : a murderous conspiracy—a widespread conspiracy—recruited from the. ranks: of emotional- young ineh saturated with grotesque ideas of political freedom." After declaring that political opinion,;' European and Indian, had declared unanimously : that :the: Government must,' be more efficiently armed against these, dangers, he referred to. the reforms ;in .contemplation:■ by'the Secretary of State,; and o'xpressed the hope that .the -stern measures'. that; would ,be taken agdinsfc' anarchism, and 'violence would bring about a quieter, state of things; in which British and Indian administratorscould co-operate together, for best development J' of ' the country/under .the, .reform!policy.' ' ; ' "■■''.;

Lord Mokley, in announcing his reforms before the House' of Lordsj declared his complete accordance with these draefcic measures against revolutionaries, which had been sovoroly criticised in-the House oft Commons, He realised, however, that there must bo a limit to repressive , legislation, and he justified bis proposed reforms, which had tho full concurrence of the Governor-General, as part of a continuous policy which it should be weakness, rather than a sign of strength, for the Government at that crisis to discard. Lord Morldy then narrated his proposals, which will be incorporated in a Bill to bo brought down next year. It is proposed to increaso the membership of the Viceroy's Council and the provincial councils, to mako such membership in a limited degree elective, instqad .of purely nominative, to permit for the fjrst time resolution and division in tho Viceroy's Council in financial dis-1 cussion, and to give now powers of dis-' cussion and recommendation to the logis- j lativo councils. Lastly ; a device which I •has given overwhelming power to tho j Governor-General and the Governors of' ■Bombay and Madras in their Legislative , Councils is to be abolished. These author-1 ities have hitherto been ablo to secure a' majority for any proposal brought be- j foro a council by inviting high officials i of the Civil Service to swell the voting;:! 'the Civil Servants have always voted I 'with tho powers that be. This remark- J able expedient will now.be stopped, save I only in connection with the Viceroy's' Council, and the principal safeguard for ' authority will be tho right of veto of the Governor-General in respect of all proposals. Lastly, Lokd Morlcy announced that as soon as a vacancy occurs in tho Viceroy's Council he will advise the King i to appoint an Indian member to the position. Since this Council is equivalent' to tho Cabinet of India, the last-men-' tioned boon will be moro useful to the natives than any ordinary extension of Parliamentary representation. In urging the nation not to take too dark a view of tho present discontent in India, Lord Morley said: "There is not the slightcbt occasion; none of those who are responsible take a gloomy view. They know the difficulties, they are propared to grapple with them and to keep down mutinous,opposition, and they hope, and wo hope, to attract the good-will that must, after all, bo tho real' foundation of prosperity and strorigth in India. We believe that that is so far unsapped; and we believe 'th,at this admission of Indians, desired by tho Governor-General and desired by us,' to a larger and more direct share in the government of their country without for a moment taking from the central power its authority, will bo to strengthen the foundations of our position. Tho maintenance of our authority will bo all the more effective if we have, along with our own authority, the aid and assistance, under "responsible circumstances, of the Indians themselves. Military strength, material strength, we have in abundance. 'What we still want to reacquire is moral strength in guiding and controlling the people of India in tho course on which timo is launching us."

,■ .The speech- in .which this policy was outlined made a strong impression on tho House' of Lords, .Loed-Lansdowne, ; leader :of.,:thd 'Opposition-in...that Mhambpr; de-i scribing -it as ''/fa' statement of -. absorbing .interest,"- eloquent, ■ direct, and sincore." Lord Mohley declared his policy tb mark "the; opening of a very important'. chap--t»rin the relations,- of .Great, Britain and India;' , ,. It remains to be seen; how this combination; bf repressive' and. ameliorative imeasures will-affeqt tlie situation in India*' Already, as ,'our-cable news showed yesterday, one of the greatest of the' proposed concessions, the '< appointment, of a'native member 6f the' Viceroy's Coiincilj has been made a bone of contontion between the Hindus and Moham-l medans,; whoi are both anxious for tc..prosentation. ; The; succesß of the policy will depend primarily on the ' dimensions :and reasonableness, of:the mbderr ately aggrieved party in'lndia,,who may well see in the concessions now offered prospect of further reforms to come, when they have shown theinsolves deserving of i the first 1 instalmotit.- Tho. legitimate grievances of .this section, .if no action were taken to;, satisfy them,: might easily ; dovelop into a more powerful influence against tho Government than the foolish rah tings and wild actions of it few youthful revolutionaries." -"■-■.'■ :