The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-08-26
BRITISH RULE IN INDIA.

Lord Curzon 5 speech on the occasion of his visit
to London last month"; printed in full in the London
Times, is clear and interesting statement of the
problems of British rule in India.
Lord Curzon first visited India II years ago; IA
years ago he became connected with its administra-
ton. and for five and half years he has been vice.
roy The period of his administration has been char
acterized by an administrative quality of a high
order.
The period has witnessed work of reform and
reconstruction. Lord Curzon calls the adminstra-
ton of Indian affairs by Great Britain the greatest
thing the English people have done doing now
the supreme touchstone of national duty"
He has set high ideal and has brought to bear
on the task energy and grasp of conditions that
few if any, of his predecessors have possessed What
England has done is shown in this remarkable ques-
ton put straight to his audience:
"Where else in the world has race gone forth
and subdued, not country or a kingdom, but a
continent and that continent not peoped by savage
tribes but by races with traditions and civilization
elder than our own; with history not inferior to
ours in dignity and romance, subduing them not to
the law of the sword but to the rule of justice bring
ing peace and order and good government to nearly
oneffth of the entire human race and ruling them
with so mild restraint that the rulers are the meres
handful amongst the ruled, tiny speck of white
foam unon q daTly ond tbundaro11c oooan
The conditions faced and successfully met are such
as present most complex problem, and Lord Cur
zon reminds those at home that they "have not the
perpetual and harassing anxiety of land frontier
500 miles in length, peopled by hundreds of diff
ferent tribes most of them Injured to religious fan
atheism and hereditary rapine" 1t is here that is
found the empires most vulnerable point in the
event of an international war Back of that frontier
quas-independent native states in state of de-
cadence, while back of them are massed the powers
OF Europe The fall Of each Of the former brings
to India an added menace in the nearer approach
national desire for conquest
England has homogeneous population, or one that
is relatively In India there must be dealt with
races Of wide differences with "creeds that range
from basest anmalsm to the most exalted metaphys-
les with standards Of life that cover the whole space
between barbarism and civilization" England isl
land of one language, religion, with few essen
tial differences, and is the home Of a people Who'll
possess sentiments in common with one another
Contrasted with the maher country is this great
dependency, 3O0,O00000 people against 100000,
with "chaOs Of languages and stages of mental Or
ganizatiOn" that cover the whole range from the
lowest to the highest orders of society Hunger does
not come to England as a national foe but short
clop IN India means famine Distress means great
dlscontentment. Then, Lord Curzon says, comes up
the haunting question; 'What is in the heart of
all these sombre Millions whittier are we leading
them, what is it all to come to- where is the goal
But he finds hope in the steady and growing adj
vance in the loyalty Of the people of the great col
Ony He says he has ever preached to them the
gospel OF duty, of high and strenuous aim. u
believing that the basis of successful British rule in
India depends on the eternal moralities of righte
business and justice" that without absolute Justice
between man and man. freedom from tyranny and in
justice and oppression, the empire will not touch
their hearts, and will fade away
The speech shows the viceroy to be man of high
purpose for he has set the most exalted ideal before
his countrymen. He has put before them the prob
LENS that confront the empire in its dealings with its