The Irish standard., 1896-12-19

weather Oy Cle OBSTRUCTION OIaltS #uduu-5
factures by British misgoyernment. In
dias was the chief manufacturing country
of Asia when the English obtained con-
troll of it's destinies. She had been the.
chief manufacturing country of the world
in antiquity, and her delicate cotton fab
rics had been the choicest dress goods Of
the Greeks and Romans. 1t was to buy.
these cottons that England began her.
intercourse with India; and vet when
once she got control of the country she
deliberately sacrificed them to the conl-
petition Of her own spinners and weav-i
ers, so utterly destroying the cotton
manufacture that it became little more
than memory. From that day the ques-..
%tion of the rainfall has been one Of life
or death to her people, of whom millions.
have died of absolute starvation during
the present reign, according to even Eng
lish authorities, while the natives and
impartial oIllookers say that the deaths
have been counted by tens of millions.
The total population of India is over
800, ,0O0,0 900, and most of it is so poor that
it cannot obtain food to satisfy hunger.
Some 60,000,O00 are said to be hungry
from one years end to the other Others
have to eat rancid fish because they can
not afford salt enough to cure it, the gov
ernment monopoly of salt making it too
dear. But hunger and unwholesome food
are, small matter compared with the
starvation which falls on the country
with ever increasing frequency. This
year, it is said, 100000 900 will be brought
to the edge of famine, or carried over it
into slow and painful death by hunger,
since the rains have failed.
4. Let it not be supposed that the English
are now blind to the cause of the misery
of India and Ireland. Even they have
got so far in their dull study of economic
laws as to know that famine is the direct
consequence of uniformity Of occupation.
The Famine Commission which reported
in 1885 as to the cause and cure of In
dian famines was quite explicit on this
point. 1t said that there could be no real
remedy for the evil so long as such an
overwhelming majority of the Hindoos,
were dependent upon the crops alone for,
their support. 1t went on to add that
the Commission did not, recommend a
$pptective tariff for India; but both ma:
+ tive. and sAnglo-Indian newspapers at
Fone drew that Inference. The Lahore
Gazette said, that if the United States had
control Of India, they would find a, way
to put an end to the uniformity of EN-
ployment which was admitted to be the
cause of her miseries.
This fact, that variety of employment
is necessary to save a country from fam
inc, is admitted even by some free trad
|ers on cur side Of the Atlantic. The Mon
treal Witness, which took a leading part,
in helping to defeat the Tories in the re-
cent. Canadian election, says: "The peo-
pie of India are dependent upon. agricul-
t,1re to degree that Western people can
hardly conceive as possible in so popu-
lous a country *:** In Europe the
theory is that any density of population
approaching 200 to the square mile inn
plies mines, manufactures or the indus
try of large cities; but India altogether
believes this theory, as in almost every
province. a population Of over 900 people
to the square mile throughout immense
districts which are entirely dependent
upon land culture is very common. A
farming population so dense, living in
country where agricultural conditions
are so uncertain, cannot in the very ma
ture Of things, escape severe distress.
The utmost the wisest, most humane
and wealthiest government can do will
not serve to prevent sore want and even
great mortality at times. @
This sounds we'll, but the writer ig-
nores what this wise and humane gov
ernn1ent of the Englishtin India has done
to bring about the very state of affairs
which condemns millions of the people
to slow death by starvation. VAS the car
writes in his recent book Of travels, the
ruin of India has been British free Ee1e.
1t is the policy of making England the
one workshop of the empire which has
destroyed the industries which were the
glory and the safety of India. It was the
sudden removal Of duties on English cot
tons In 1904 which caused the desolation
Of British India without parallel, in tue
worlds industrial history, and ushered
the era Of hunger and famine. That act
was supplemented by legislation which
forbade the export of machinery from
Engalnd to India, or any British colony,
Hest the natives should compete with
English manufactures in their,own coun-
| try. or anywhere else.
IS. 1t will be said that all this is thing
l,ofs the past But the evil consequences
Of bad laws live on, and frequently res
Isquire special legislation to undo. them
Nor is even this wicked legfsla ation q
Ithing OF the past. At this moment the
Hindoo who wants American cotton to
spin with his own short-g trained staple
has to pay an import duty on II, although
lhis English zcunp pet itor gets his free 81
lduty. b And this humane and wise gov