Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-09-04
4 FEARFUL INDICTMENT.
Florence Nightingale DenouBces Brit
ish Misrule as the Cause of Famine
and Death IL india H-Ell-- Il

Florence. Nightingale DenouHces Brit
ish MiSrnle as the Cause of Famine
and Death III india HiH'771 'e
|" Florence nightingale, in the Nine
tenth Century for Aug Ist, dispels the
glamor which is in3ustriously spread
over British rule in india She gives
the number of those who have died
from famine In that country within a
single year. apparently 1874, at 6,O0O,-
600. The official figures for the year
1878 are 1,S50,OO0. The evils which
she cites as the causes of the terrible
ravages Of death are: The lack of ir-
rigatiOn, which the local administration
has engaged to provide; the monstrous
taxation, which brushes out manufac-
lures, and the usury which is permitted
by the laws. The famine has been
warded of from the provinces Of Tan
jore, and kistna, where irrigation has
been provided. In other provinces one
person out of four of the total popula-
! ton has been starved to death. The
cry of the land and OF, the people is for
1.-THE water which the government has
the power to secure. tOf taxation Miss
Nightingale cites the duty levied on
salt OF 81 a ton upon cost of lbs. Cd.
| This Is a tax of more than / 100 per
cent. on a chief necessity of life. Our
indignant author declares that "manu-
features are strangled by the tax on
i'salt." Yet this is the chief dominion
Of the government which claims to be
the leading champion Of free trade for
all the world. She has reason for call
ing the authorities to faccOuntfor their
grlevouss. 5extortionsE upon. these suffer
ling provinces. ~
| The taxes are y rendered more
burdensome by the fact that they are
payable ia 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
fEayezcrops aor noty whether their pro-
ducts are salable Or not, the taxes must
be paid. The producer often has to
borrow money to satisfy the taxgath-
erer.aJ For this he has to pay common
| ly 30 per cent, and often more, even
up to 100 per cent. The money-lender
is shreWd here 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 Nightin-
gale cites one case where upon debt
of 94 the, costs were ELS, Or 400 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.
Terrible as is theopicture it is sketched
by the hand Ola woman who by her de-
votion in the Crimea has proven her de-
votion to Britain and its highest in
terests. Surely British rulers cannot
neglect such evils in the provinces
which give to the. sovereign her proud
est title. Let Us, ddonly a single para
graph of incidents, which she relates
from the life: 7Ed~ooo9 .m@5' 5as
SIN the Madras famine (1S73-1S74)
children OF, Z to 10 years used to bring
poor living naked living skeletons of 2
| and and 4vearsato the government
rellef centers, feeding the babes day
alter day for weeks with the daily dole,
asking for nothing for themselves. till
the little foster-mothers would them
selves, sink at the gates. They were
often of no kin, sometimes even of a
different caste or religion. Hundreds
of fathers and mothers going to, other
parts of the country to get food and
work, left children to die in their vii
lages. Little ones who had no little
foster-mothers,l awanderedaabout to get
dole Of food from any one who would
give, then lay down. and died with
pass me the ,word-the heroic, agony Of
childish patience. For example, one
missionary from Cuddapah5 met one
day over 100 (children) who had no
no one IN the world to care for them"