The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-07-30 00:00:00

A 111 ‘;Dus IDEAS OF VOLUNTEERS.

A'rrir,s-r our army army, navy, and auxiliary
=•r oing through a series of mano3u.-
.--. s ;n celebration of the Queen's Jubilee,
it -•.:tv be interesting to our readers if we
p!ace 'Trove. them a speech on the subject of
V.- --iters, which was delivered at the
Indian Yational Congress, held at Calcutta
e -fiber last, and which we re-produce
frf-. th pa-nphlet lately issued.
T e fi'th resolution was an important one,
viz :—" That in view to the unsettled state
of public affairs in Europe, and the immense
assistance that the people of this country, if
duly prepared therefor, are capable of
rendering to Great Britain in the event of
any se-ions complications arising, the Con-
gress do earnestly appeal to the Government
r. r, iithorise (under such rules and restric-
ti n. as may to it seem fitting) a system of
ola,• -ering for the Indian inhabitants of
t • c •untry, such as may qualify them to
•ie Government, effectively, in-any

be, as has been often asserted, a
. .tor of sentiment, but there is no
h. n which the intelligent classes,
thrinTlF-.itt India, feel more keenly than this,
cl boking to the immense importance
wrtieli the assemblage clearly attached to it,
to th ?Absolute unanimity with which they
regard:o it, and the enthusiasm with which
the' 7 cted its introduction, it may be
de; to quote at length from the pro-
Tys . sajan Rampal's speech, which put
the apparently, to the entire satisfaction
of bis idience. He said :

" u pirit of this meeting- has been so
unif r y loyal and conciliatory that I hope
no once will blame us if we now proceed to
denl i a mattor in regard to which we
are ,listinctly at variance with Government.
Ever one knows:that, for a variety of
reasons, the whole country is of opinion that
Nntive Volunteer Corps ought to be organ—
Every one knows that the entire
--v memorialised and endeavoured to

vernment in this matter, and every
knows that, to our great regret
.1 1 l'sa -oointment, the Government---and
• nor •ver-graciously—distinetly refused
Ittention to the unanimous voice

c ,uutry. None the less, however,
I tow feel it our duty to reiterate those
• ,r.-.slirations which are based on a con-
:erition of the highest interests of Great
Britit as well as India.

We are deeply grateful to the Government
for all the good that it has lone us, but we
cannot be grateful to it, othen it is, no
matter with what best of intentions, doing
us a terrible and irreparable injury.
We are grateful to it for the peace and
crier which it has diffused over the land—
fo.• the education that it has so nobly and
ne.s •l'ishly imparted to us for its promise
itting us to every post and office in
nistration for which we prove our
7 -for the share that it has given us in
:-: • 'orts and conveniences provided by
? Tits of Western science, railways,
us, telephones we are grateful to
for all the innumerable boons
..;essincs that it has conferred on us;
bet we cannot be grateful to it for degrading
our na ures, for systematically crushing out
of us martial spirit, for converting a
race of soldiers and heroes into a timid flock
of o'" =lriving sheep.
T' .. God, things have not yet gone
quit far as this; there are some of us
yet; :ywhere, who would be willing to
dr =w =v eds, and, if needfa!, lay down our
live. • hearths and homes, aye and for
the s- :and maintenance of that Gov-
ernm at to which we :owe so much. Bat
this is .'hat we are coming to; and when
WS oil.' come to that, then I think that,
desp e,; the glories of the Pax Britannica,
desp;te the noble intentions of Great
Britai•l• despite all the good that she may
or tried to do U 3, the balance
• :-!!;•ainst her. and India will have to
her than rejoice that she has ever
.hing to do with England.

'

7

be strong langna-ge, bnt it is the
N'uthing can ever make amends to a
the destruction of its national
`,4iit of its capacity to defend itself,
- • sfiil from whioh it springs.
N ir is it only we who shall have to regret
, I'vr for the mistaken policy that our
aweriment is unhappily -pursninp.; in this
matter. Look whtlre yon will around you
n -the world, and you will see gigantic
runes and armaments, T:u.a-e is trouble in
store for the whole civilised world, and
sooner or. later a tremendous military
straggle will commence, in which assuredly,
before it terminate;, Great Britain will be
)Iced. Great 13:•itain with all her wealth
cannot put one hundred men into the field
fo. ery thousand that several Continental
, can. England. herself is isolated,
• •ir insular pai:tion to a certain ex
...,,tected. But no friendly sea rolls
Enrope and Asia, the landward path
t is known and open: India is not
isolatt):ioind it Will be India, on whose pos-
session half Great Britain's wealth and
stones 4spetrby that will be the scene of any
st!riolli attack by any Continental powers oa
(3:-t,at Britain. Thou will England rep et
that, instead of having millions of brave
Indians trained to arms to fling back the
invaders, she has only her scanty legions to
to them, and from her timid subjects
can only look, at most, for good wishes—
Good wishes truly good things in their
• poor bitl-ca2';cs against Berdan
rift .4. steei ordnance.

cnr own ac;.:oant, we deprecate
. .ng pol:cy. :High aA low, we are
eal knowledge et tee tteo of anzul,