The silver lance., 1897-11-05

llsn papers appear to be inclined to ex-
aggerate things. to mix up the Poona
murders and the Calcutta riots. as if
they were both caused by the same peo-
pie. No one who has any knowledge
OF India today thinks that there was
any real connection between these
events. Both were brought about by
purely local causes. Still less has the
shooting of an old sentry or two in the
Tochi valley anything to do with the
disturbances in India proper, although
have seen that some London papers
have Jumped them all together as If
they were part and parcel of the same
conspiracy. But, though the causes of
the Calcutta riots and the Poona mur-
ders were purely local, there was one
point of resemblance between them and
between all the serious breaches of the
peace that have taken place during re-
cent years. mean that there is a
widespread idea that the government,
NO matter whether it is that of Bengal
or Bombay or any other part of India,
is afraid to take severe measures in
quelltng disturbances. There is an
idea that the authorities will allow
their district officers no sort of discre-
cretion in dealing with riots and the
like, and that it is perfectly safe to
embark in the pronounced outrages
and breaches Of the peace, because the
government is either unwilling or un-
able to suppress them. The native
press has SO encroached on the tolera-
ton of the government, SO freely
passed the line which divides liberty
from license, has INDUCED with impun-
ity with such outrageous ISLANDERS and
libels on the officers of the government,
even the very highest, that there Is no
wonder that belief has spread abroad
that the government Is afraid to exer-
else its full powers and that it will not
extend to its officers any sort of pro-
tsction when they are assailed with
the abuse and reviling Of the native
press. In fact, in Bengal it has been a
custom of recent years to positively en-
courage the attacks Of the native press
on the Indian civilians who administer
that province. Similarly, we have seen
how nothing was done to protect Mr..
Rand from the ISLANDERS of the NAH
rata press. All this, and many other
things dating from recent years have
resulted in a loss of prestige which 1t
will take years to remedy. On every
side there are rumors of disaffection;
It is said that Brahman emissaries are
attempting to tamper with the men of
the native corps containing Hindoos,
and so long as the government shows
. weak front to the seditious attacks of
disaffected persons in the press and
elsewhere, SO long may we expect to
see this spirit of unrest, which is so
marked q characteristic of the India
Of today, increasing and multiplying On
every side. 1t is hardly necessary to
add that the news of the frontier disas-
ters and murders of isolated British
ofncers which have been coming in SO
frequently of late only tend to encour-
age and strengthen this spirit of un-
rest. Already the ignorant peasantry
In various parts of the country fully
believe that the British raj must sure
ly be coming to an end. Evil disposed
persons go freely among them telling
how the famine, the earthquake, the
want of rain, and every other evil is
directly attributable to the alien rulers
against whom Mr.. Dadabhai Naoro1i
and his followers are SO fond of in
Weighing. What we want in India now
are strong men. This is no time for
the dissemination of radical doctrines
or congress remedies. II we are to
maintain our position in the country
we must assume a more determined at
titude than we have done of late.