Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-09-06
A Fearful Indictment,

| FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE DESoUNCEs BRITISH
MIsRULE As THE CAUSE OF FAMINE AND DEATH
IN INDIA.
Florence Nightingale, in the Nineteenth ten
tlIy for August, dispels the glamour which
| is industrlously spread over British rule in
| India. She gives the number of those who
| have died from famine in that country within
Il single year, apparently 1874, at 6,O0O. 600.
The official figures for the year lS77-S are
l,S50OU0 The evils which she cites as tie
causes of the terrible ravages of death are
| The lack of irrigation, (which the local ad-
ministration has engaged to provide the
monstrous taxation, which brushes out manu-
factures, and the usury which is permitted by
the laws. The famine has been warded of
from the provinces Of Tanjore and kistna
where irrigation has been provided. In other
provinces one person ont of four of the total
| population has been starved to death. The
cry of the land and OF the people is for the
| water which the Government has the power
| to secure. OF taxation, Miss Nightingale
cites the duty levied on salt of pounds
ton upon n cost of l2s. I'd. This is n tax of
more than eleven hundred per cent on chief
| necessity of life. Our indignant author de-
clared that manufactures are strangled by
the tax on salt" Yet this is the chief do
minion Of the Government which claims to
be the leading champion of free trade for all
the world She has reason for calling the
authorities to account for their grievious ex-
tortions upon these suffering provinces.
The taxes are rendered more burdensome
10y the fact that they are payable in money
and not in kind as in the olden times. As a
consequence the people must get money for
this purpose at every risk. Whether they
have crops or not, whether their products
are saleable or not, the taxes must be paid.
IN =,
satisfy the tax-gatherer. For this he has to
pay commonly fifty per cent, and often more,
even up to one hundred per cent. The mon
ey-lender is sSrewd there as elsewhere ; the
ryot is often ignorant and he signs for his
loan the bond which is presented to him.
The costs of the foreclosure of the claim are
fearful Miss Nightingale cites one case
where upon debt of a the costs were Gl6,
or four hundred per cent All these things
occur under English law. The consequence
is that the title of the land is going to the
usurers, and India is starving to death. Ter
rible as is the picture, il is sketched by the
hand of woman who by her devotion in the
Crimea has proven her devotion to Britain
and its highest interests. Surely British
rulers cannot neglect such evils in the pro-
vinces which give TO the sovereign her proud
est title. Let US add only single paragraph
of incidents which she relates from the life
In the Madras famine (lS13-lS7i child
ren of seven TO ten years used to bring poor
little naked living skeletons of two and three
and four years to the Government relief CEN
tiers, feeding the babies day after day for
weeks with the daily dole, asking for nothing
for themselves, till the little foster-mothers
would themselves sink at the gates. They were |
often of no kin, sometimes even of a differ |
ent caste or religion. Hundreds of fathers
and mothers going to other parts of the
country TO get work and food, left children
to die In their villages. Little ones who had |
no little foster mothers, wandt red about to
get dole Of food from any one who would |
give then lay down and die with-pass me |
the word the heroic agony of childish pa
tience. For example, one missionary from |
Cuddnpah met IN one day over one hundred |
(children) who had no one in the world to |
care for them"