The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-20
SITUATION IN EAST INDIA
WHAT OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENTS
ON THE FAMINE SHOWS.
Reports of COmmissiOners-Tbe Dis
tress Great and Those in Author
ity Unable to Relieve 1t.

timely relief formed the sole topic of con-
versation here, the other events of the
week being entirely swept out of the men,
DRY of the people of England. In fact, they
have we'll nigh forgotten Lord Roberts and
the main object of the war, so overwhelm-
ing is their rejoicing over the deliverance
of the garrison of the little African vii
lage. Neither Kimberley nor Ladysmith ap-
pealed to their sympathies as did Mafe-
king. and 1t will probably be days before
the country will settle down to sober APP
probation of the struggle still going or
on the African plains and which still pre-
sents serious military problems. There is
great demand for the cartoon published
in Punch entitled 1.-The Eleventh Hour"
in which Col. Baden-Powen is drawing the
attention of Mafeking. depicted as a wan
faced woman, to a telegram posted on a
wall and reading:
Hold on till the 1Sth-Roberts."
| Col. Baden-Powell is represented as say
ing:
"All right. Cheer up. Roberts is man of
his word
| The successful turn that affairs have
| taken in South Africa is most fortunate for
Lord Salisbury, as his weakest point, his
| foreign administration. had threatened to
| become an all too prominent topic. The
news that Russia had secured coal depot
| in Corea, as announced May Is, in dis
patch to the Times from Picking, has raised
a storm of indignation and many of the
| Conservative organs have declared that
| this is merely another unfortunate circum-
stance of the premier's utter incapability
to protect British interests in the far East.
Among those who study Chinese questions
the belief obtains that Russia's latest move
| is direct breach of contract with and
blow against Great Britain and Japan
which brings the nations face to face with
| grave crisis which pusillanimous diplo-
macy will neither end nor mend. The Globe,
| for instance, openly advocates immediate
| ly sending a powerful feet to Corea and
| bluntly demanding that Russia forego the
advantages she is alleged to have secured
| in contravention with the agreements OF
| 1881. However, though the important organs
| are in bad humor over the matter, IL is
| said on good authority that Lord Sails
bury has much too keen an appreciation
| of Great Britains present trouble to take
any alarming action in the immediate
future and that he only contemplates DIP
lomatic inquiries and passive aid to Japan
XXX
The secretary of state for India, Lord
| George Hamilton, has granted the Asso-
ciated Press permission to inspect the un-
published official correspondence received
| ND to date in his department, dealing with
| the Indian famine. The mass of reports
| that came in by the last mail alone from
the hosts of civil servants who are striving
4 he ard ma
the devastating evils that threaten to sap
| the life of India almost battles condensa-
| ton. Yet now and again there is revealed
by reason OF the very strength OF terSe
verbiage and official reticence wealth of
pathos and world suffering which columns
| of vivid description could scarcely con-
| yey. What, for instance, could better tell
| these tales of sorrow than the following
| report of the commissioner of Kherwera,
ir Rajpootanna. With careful regard for
| the regulations governing communications
J he abruptly commences:
"Kherwara-Crops practically nit.
| "Water-Hardly any.
| "Cattle-AI dead
| "Fodder-Nfl.
"People-Thriftless class dead. People
| with small means at end Of their resources
| and either on relief works or dying
| "Crime-Abnormal.
| With a pathetic frankness found in few
| of these gruesome documents submitted to
| the Associated Press, he continues: II have
| tried to keep the Kherwera bazaar open TO
| all, but as have only 5000 rupees. lent me
| BY the Merwar at Darbar, with which to
| purchase grain, l have miserably failed
| and hundreds come to me daily for permits
| sion TO buy and have TO be refused"
| From all the commissioners of the native
| states the same cry goes up. There the
| distress and suffering is more severe than
l in any other part of India, yet the natives
/ constitution.
I dependent on the British relief system and
| are not entitled to a share of government
| charity. as they pay no taxes for imperial
| support.
/ However Sir Charles Bernard, head Of
| the Indian Office Bureau of Revenue tells
| the Associated Press that the British are
| advancing to the states loans wherever
| feasible and say they will come in for their
| full share of the relief sent from the United
| States.
| From those commissioners of nat.yes'
| states, who are only able to advise instead
| Of ordering natives, comes most distressing
| reports TO the conditions of their terri
| tories. not yet limited at in the English
| newspapers. But, throughout the narrowing
| documents are tinged with hopefulness
! born of the pluck that makes the Indiar
| civil servant such strenuous fighter OF
famine. plague and pestience. One resident
| OF Rajpootana reports that the Dewan of
/ Sirhoi state, with a population of about
$4,000. tells him that only las persons died
| OF starvation in March
4
| dent of Western Rajpootana expresses re-
| greet that he is obliged to record 1867 deaths
| as occurring in the famine camps, hospitals
| and poorhouses in the comparative small
| state of Marwar during March, while an
| other resident supplements this CHASTITY
/ record Of wholesale mortality by remark
ing that at Dhaulera, out of 90 900 persons
| congresated around the relief works, Lis
| ave died between Feb. q and March g.
| and this has no bearing on tho inroads Of
| the plague or cholera. From the latter
/ cause 81 died at Nagpoor during March
| Captain Grant. on famine duty at Mar
| war, reports that the majority of fatali-
| ties were not preceded by any acutesillness.
Old persons. weak and with oedema of the
rect. sit at the relief woks all day long
| draw their pay. eat a full meal and die
| during the night Nothing can be done for
| them. They will not so to hospital.
| While plague and cholera add TO the evils
/ frequently mentioned in the dispatches.
These consist chiefly Of the Dacoits, who
are raiding what few cattle left. and
the refugees. who, to quote the commits
sioner, are often from the far distant
| states. having abandoned their children
Speaking at the dinner of the Cambridge
| University Liberal Club last evening. at
which the Australian federation delegates
| were the principal guests John Morley
said: THE public imagination has been
excited to an unparalleled degree at the
frf,,ropbapf ending of of the most