The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-03-06
THE INDIAN FAMINE.


he -sEe 70 reare- 4 r1FssEva u1- der The
r1zzEztai= q the task gives s-p Ezs-s 10
ire question rzSsed ~ Slr Henry Fowler
last week IS 20 whether the burden IAy
Ec- have - - shared eventually - E<lt-
as1 state al as ~eE as ~ British osuevo-
lezca- That question LES apart from the
scrutiny % the royal commission into the
T7-Lr-11 90 expenditure = normal years
between Great Britain ard India TIE
c1zz1or % re expe-1s seems 70 ee t1z- as
matter e account India * or TIE wnsose.
ard subject 20 certain reservations fairy
treated 81 TIRE English treasury. II We
accept tae doctrine thar r-11z shall es<ra-
iAe home charges i. soaneetsoo with Ter
imperial cozt-oi which TIE colonies and
5tEer dependencies o. Great Britain are
rot called q - bear. eso- : II f1sszn4s 20
re5scr this doctrine without : deliberate
examination By parliament 81 TIE basis
CT which x rests o many critics. both
In India and Great Britain. Il seems CUES
tsozshle 70 make the Indian taxpayer pay
for the India c1sce and Ehs Indian ssc-e-
t2-y Of state Wills rhs cn1cns7l taxpayer
has cct 20 pay for -hs colonial o-5cs and
the secretary OF state for the colonies
TIE contrast . also pointed OUT between
The treatment o< India and the colonies
with regard 70 csrrz4n military and G1Elo-
matte charges Bet these and similar dlt-
fe-@rces had their origin In historical
c2Cses and hare al historical continuity
which. although cp@c 10 discussion can
Be best discussed wssn the nation Is n q
calm mood. A. present. willis Demanding
that the Iz3tz1 government shall main
tain ths casnnsss CT which wise action
depends. Great Britain views the suffer
ings os India wfth TIE heart rather than
the head. II IL right that she should do SO.
Nor Is u wrong that. alike n respect 10
public osnevoieEce and 10 possible state
AID she should bear In mind that India
does as a matter OF fact contribute 70 the
charges OF imperial control IN q SPECIAL
manner an. 20 an extent not enforced
from any Other OF her dependencies be-
yon6 the sea
This q not the tine Cor constitutional
argument but for effective relief The
nation has taken OK Itself a responsible
sIy which no other Az-atie power, whether
IN India or elsewhere. ever assune6-tle
responsibility for saving from death some
435se.sye os peasants whose food supply
has beea gradually depleted and f2A5gy
exhausted by successive failures &C the
rain On which the cultivation or their
fields depends. II has also taken On st.
SET the responsibility FOR other s0sys5. 30
CT peasants who are going through ths
earlier stages OF ths same process. a..
whom another year Of deficient rainfall
would re1ucs 20 thu famine point How
slowly. and how recently. this EssponsI-
biAty has been accepted by ths British
government CT India may be realized
from the following facts Besides the
terrible 6sarths under native rule fifteen
trls 1zaEnss have occurred IN India since
rs, when the actual management Q. the
Bengal districts began 70 pass into En-
elisa hands In that year. which may Re
regarded as tbs last great famine year
under the native rural administration Of
Bengal. the new and distant English ST.
peEviSfor proved Intellectual 10 arrest the
calamity; 10 aa 600 os human beings per-
ishe5. ard c1e-thsrd Of the country was
left bare OF Inhabitants. The famine OF
1889 in Madras r. memorable for the
arst serious attempt ~ government 20
employ the people on relief works After
the experience Of many intermediate ca
ls1rities rslief works were organized On
an adequate scale IN the limited scarcity
AREA OF the Northwestern provinces n
Eoe-s1 Such measures proved unable 10
cope wffh the more widely spread snd IN
.enser famine CT 1855. II which whole
villages In II. recssses OF Orlssa ard
southwestern Bengal perisAed-
u was not until the BundeIkhand
scarcity az 1888 that Lord Lawrence,
as vtceroy. and the government % Great
Britain definitely accepted the response
ciiity for preventing loss oe life during
famine. That responsibility. as disLin-
g1ishe3 from mere measures o. uait.gS-
ton. was never thought OF by The native
rulers % India. nor could they have dis
charged II, owing 10 the want OF means
os communication and food distribution.
even Il they had recognized IL. Over a
century OF British rule had passed before
oas o. the most philanthropic Of British
viceroys veaturei 20 accept *. and tie
facts proved that his acceptance OF II
wGs IN advance o. ths possibility Of per-
foTrance- b. 8 vast expenditure. some
think BY lavish expenditure. or the IL
dian revenues the responsibility was Dis
charged throughout thS comparatively
small area az ths Behar scarcity OF lsL
with the help CO exceptional facilities for
intsrnsl traf.c. Bat the greater famine
area Of lss5-7s and its detective means %
communication and food transit rendered
ell efforts unagsiling 10 prevent = large
less OF life. Il seemed that. IN spite OF
the most extensive state organization OF
relief ever attempted, the old Indian ira
dltion % famine could not os broken,
and saat when the rains twice failed Lie
people must die.
Although this Is not the tine fer divert
Ing overtasked officials In india from TIE
imm@6iate work OF relief 70 problems q
economies Il should De remembered taat Il
Is 20 the thorough inquiry Instituted after
the famine Of 1858 ttar Ee owe the pos
sfbsaty o. more successfully dealing wita
tie present visitation. For the nFst tine
a famine coTnntss. o. really representative
OF the British parliament ana nation vent |
20 trs root Of the matter. The COMMISSION !
accepted tAe principle OF reSPousib tity IS /
defined ~ Lord LaWrs1ce u GEe-ss. and /
laid 6oza distinct lines Of preparation.
involving = large aauGal expenditure, FOR [
giving eTsc: 70 f.. These preparations /
have been steadily carried oct during Re /
past dStesu years In the ea&aznlSy nov /
sprea 3tng ever the land the In1fzr govern /
naeut and tie British nation not only IN 1
6srtake responsible " which 10 native /
dynasty ever accepted, bat they enter Oh 1
IL for tire arst time with fair chance CT 4
bang able % cope with Widespread and 4
long-c ntirue9 famine.
No prudent ulza who k1o@s the facts 4
would venture 10 say more We car calcn- 4
IA 70 orr ogn resources. but We can only 4
form a vague estimate as 20 the severity !
and continuity % the demand thai all be i
made upon theua-An estimate which few /
inches more o. less % rainfall ulay AZ any i
time falslfy. Nor can we hope - avert 1
considerable mortality from the diseases I
which follox = the train Of fannie any f
Uors man We can hope 20 aver many 4
Sezths from the plaS1e- II e country i
where 10 poor law has ever existed. AMI 1
waeFe tire relief of the INDECENT and insrn i
IS carried or q that domestic privacy I
watch caste has rendered 8 ruling passion I
among ths Eiudus. Thousands delay - 4
avail themselves OF state al untii 100 /
J&se. The terror q the hospital Is = tar 1
ror % the pro-ziscuows gathering % vzr4- 4
Gus classes - hateful 10 ulada IDEAS OF 4
religious parity. X = strcrg enough 70 4
make the piague patient prefer % de I
among rs owz rs-o9ie II hls sitting hut
rather thAa aeceps re benfts OF medical