Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-10-17


Davsaysrs. v1oausaays ossssse ~. Ass.
1o1xs11 q llIuS1 nDlA.
The London eosrespoAdent pf she Ne
sissa rslsRisessr gives the fsiiowins facts
end reflections concerning the use Of tor
tore b. British officials in the East Indies.
Il il revolving to huasaity and greatly dis
graceful to the English Government that
sscA Z fac, should be permittea to exist.
but we are rather surprised that 90 in,elh-
rent 1 person q this correspondent should
join the silly chorus u shoss who aste mps
% sxcuse cur owa misdeeds BY enunera-
ting the farits Of oshers. An individual
hviae ia the Asbisual commissioa Of crime.
nay mol have vey apparent right Of lee
turins on the aims Of others, but il would
bss curious ethical doctrine. that he could
ahsolve himself from the guilt of his own
oisdeeds - dwelling on the malfeasances
u his neiehbss. We imagine that SINH
isr docuiae would hold good in regard to
The conduct Of nations. Il would be bad
siea Coz The Improvement Of the world, II
seeA nation could excuse it, own wrong
A,;ag b citiog the bad conduct Of another.
Justice to Englana would also dictate the
psnask. that when any great abuse is sup
Dsssd 70 exist. public opinion forces Psrlia-
aeat 70 inquire into the matter, and 70 at
tempt : remedy OF the evil. Thus, in the
present Instance. it having been asserted
AID 1saisd that torture vas used In India
il the busiaess Of collecting the revenue,
parlisnsntary commission was appointed,
whose report has placed the present revela-
sieas before the public. The manner, how
ever, in which the commissioners went to
work. causes the remembrance Of pecu-
liar srais Of the East Indian Character
TAey issued circulars to oil Parts Of India,
inviting complaint and inquiry, and in three
m,nths nearly two thousand complaints
were laid before them, certifying to differ
ens cases u which torture had been used.
Nov, - Nacaulay has shown il his article
on Warren Hastings. Hindoo thinks -
little Of c,anittin. forgery or perjury. a.
IN Eng'isa i,ckey does Of overreiching in
4 horse trade. and If thousand afii iavits
coald be procured on one side OF question
to-day, under . change Of circumstances
ansthss thousand in favor Of the other side
could Be procured from the same persons
Tomorrow. This peculiarly would seem
calculated TO throw some suspicion on tes-
siaony derived from such sources, but with
out farther preface. We quote what 10 said
b. the correspondent Of the lnseaiseseer.
aAs far a. relates 10 one part OF the in.
ouiry, that Of the use of torture in erimisa!
eases, il seems that the custom has been
knoxa u exist. talked about, indeed every
Yhiae but Suppressed. from old times. Ten
ors;ers we're issued BY one court on the sub
lee. between 1906 and the date Of this re.
bort, ali forbidding what SIR Thomas Nun.
70. in 1897. called "irreeuisrities," viz:
seating, kicking and various other cruel op-
eeusioss at was al the fault Of the ma.
dive character" said on. Official, sit was an
Gent, and the people took to it naturally"
said another. All the ten orders failed to
produce the abolition OF these abuses
What no Englishman in England could do
10 . dog or goose with impunity, an En-
slishmsn's agent, armed with Official posi-
sisa. Il not suthority, does daily in India to
man and woman. Torture in erinina! cases
vas pssctised 10 England in James the
FirYt's time, and 10 still known in Greece
and Turkey; but this does not whit ex-
cess its being pracsised 10 India in 1885,
ssdss the Goveramens Of Englishmen, and
saAes The protection Of British laws and the
shsdow Of The British Constitution. Bot
ver,e remains behind- torture employed IN
he rsissne n repenue. On this point, too,
there 10 Z lauentable plenty of evidence,
and evidence nsofeover thar il has been part
a The regular system OF money raising for
slonR tine. We find IL alluded 10 in 1918
and 1870, not TO 70 back TO Burke's lumin-
cus And terrible account Of Debi-Sing. In
1851 revenue officers used TO extort "ren.
dus" By applying an instrument called q
kittie; "a very simple machine, consisting
Of two sticks tied together At one end
besse<a s2ici the fingers are placed Is In q
kmos squeezen But perhaps all this il
abolished since 1897. BY no means. The
commissioners found on inquiry in some
districts ~astonishment expressed that III.
prevalence Of torture should ever have beer
called in question" We, English men snt
women read @Uncle Toms Cabin" and re
proach Americans with the cruelty Of
L<eres, who never think upon or take any
blame for The nesn and hellish inhiesion
suffered By thousands Of East Indians .
the hands Of village tyrsnts in British pay
lnrEAeHrYe KAST. Petitions are in cir
4