The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-03-15
INDIA.

val Of European mails seems to confirm
it's truth. Every week. fresher devel
opments, more startling and sickeuing de-
tails, come to assure Ne that over one
million of people have starved to death
IN India during the past winter. This
great famine has occurred principally in
eastern India, in the p>pulous kingdom
OF Orissa. The pictures OF suffering
which the ASiltic mails bring u, are truly
appalling. OF popu!ous cities, nothing
remains but thousands Of skeleton corp ses,
bleaching in the sun. Untold numbers
persisted on the plain before the British
Government mouse. while waiting in
dumb dispair for some relief. Whole
families were found lying dead together
living infants, feebly moaning, were try
ing in vain to draw suslenance from the
breast OF the dead mother. Since the
siege of jerusalem by Titus, there has
been nothing in history half 80 terrible as
these periodical famines in BriIish In
dis.
Hindostan is naturally one of the rich
est regions in the world. All sorts Of
crops suitable to the climate are raised
with little effort. The people are gen
orally gentle aud industrious, and their
wants are few. Animal food is almost
unknown among the lab ring classes. A
little rice, with Other vegetables, is food
enough for Hindoo laborer. Why is ii
Iha, these people are periodically starved
by millions ?
The answer may be given in a very
few words. They are starved to death
because England has been plundering
them for two hundred years. Ia all the
annals of human crime, there is nothing
which compares, in stupendous wicked
ness, with the British conquest aud occu-
patton OF Icdis.
1t was about the year 1860 that tie
British East India Company was organ
lied by a charter from Queen Efz'be:h
For the first century, it's powers Wet'
purely commercial, but by successive
acts Of Parliament. the right to establish
military ard naval discipline, to make
treaties aud wage war, was granted, ant
in 1886 the work Of conquest began
India wasa country of vast wealth anC
population, of high enlightenment ant
culture, and with history whose record
extend back into the remotest ages O
antiquity. Iuwas. the birthplace of hu
man civilization, and probably the cradle
ofthe human race. 1t possessed great cit
les, stupeudOus temples, splendid works Q
art, vast written literature, while Greece
and Italy, and all western Europe, wer
Inhabited only by scattering tribes o
naked barbarians. The wealth accumu
lated in its royal treasures Was beyont
all computation. f.'-
HepcC the enterprising young gentle
men who administered the affairs of thu
East India Company. found out that con
quering and pIundering nations was a
more profitable sty'e of business thar
mere commercial operations. They pro-
ceeded to conquer and pluader according
y, with pertinacity which certainly
reflects great credit upon E lglish psrse
verauce. but very little upon EAglist
ch:iatianity. I. il impossible for US. q
the present time, to give spythiug like
history of these blrblrous wars. Olt
after another, tbirly-two Kingdoms wer
overun and subjugatsd. English mili'ar.
science was too much for the peaceful
and inof nsye native races. The Eorl
has gone on, almost without pause, for
hundred years. The Hindoos have bee
slaughtered literally by millions, for D
other crime than seeking to defend thei
homes sgsinst gold thirsty and bvuta
invading race. The march Of the E e
lish army was one universal devastatio
and desOlalion. In single campsig
Sir Charles Napier carried home $3.50
900 in gold and jewels as his share c
the plumber alone. Intrigue and mid
night asaassina ion went hand in han
with oped violence. He who wishes Il
read the darkest page of human history
should read what Burke and Macaule
have recorded upon this subject. Brit
ish historians are not likely to ieslif
harshly against their own people yt
he who reads their record. will know ths
Herod. Nero, P.z,rro, are no longer to
mentioned as the greatest of butcher
and tyrants.
England calls Itself Christian nstior
1t supports a state church, missiOnAr
associations, benevolent societies of th
most comprehensive character. Iudi
was pagan empire having populatio
seven times as large as Grea, Britain
Surely we nigh; expect that the chris
tian confiuerors would endsSvor to beusi
the captive nations which had fallen III
der their, sway. English civilizatiO
law. liberty. the principles of Mag
Charta,-sil these would be introduces
for the benefit of India. The apProa
of European civil cation would be as Il