Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-12
The BOYCOTT In BENGAL.

India! The name recalls to mind many
incidents connected with the writer's mill
tary service in Egypt from
Egypuan 1869 to 1879. and again in
Memories. 1882.
In 1870 the writer had been
thrown into intimate association in Egypt
with Lord Napier of Magdala, her British
majestys viceroy of India, and had thus
learned from him much that was interesting
both of India and Abyssinia. In 1882 an Of
f1cer Of rank and distinction visited the
writer in the name OF Mahmoud Tamy
Pasha, president Of the council Of Egyptian
ministers, of which Arab was minister OF
war THE minister" said the visitor
"would confide to you a secret mission"
s4rhe nature of which?' was asked. The
reply was startling: ITO light the fires or
Instruction among the Moslem popuia.tioh
of India Recovered from his surprise.
the writer said: Your masters are ms nn
taken in the man. am soldier. not an
assassin" And the door was quickly
opened to the retreating emissary: ,,..
Mahmoud was seeking means 10 ulVer'
England's attention from the mL,' ;n.,s ru
surrection which he and Arab had inaueu-
rated in Egypt, but which seemed TO nav
become chronic and without denouemeh..
fFailing to create a diversion IN lnoIa, l.
was decided to provoke conhiet II. EeSp ~
and hence the massacre of the 1ltn OF
June 1882 in Alexandria, 1t was Wiaeiy
known that England's anger against Ismali
Khedive and against Gordon was hKewiss
directed against the writer for seVerai req
sons and more recently as commander VI
the Egyptian East African expedition, pc
cause of the capture and occupation OF tne
port of kismayu, Isnah had been rouiiuIs
abused by the Anglo-Indian press ana the
writer had received a share or the Vieupeta
ton 1t was concluded that the writer
would seize the occasion offered by the
rebel minister to retaliate. the law OF taiion
being natural law-certainly for the MOS
lem whose religion favors the taking an
eve for an eve, a tooth for tooth" The
proposition was accompanied by the seduc-
tive proffer of reappointment to the army
with the rank of brigader general (not 10
be COMPOUNDED with Thewfik's subsequent
offer).
India. then, the reader will readily under
stand will always be associated with the
fortunate meeting with Lord Napier ana
the incident with the Egyptian rebel min
istry.
The boycott In China-has 1t become an
oriental weapon of defense against the &C.
cidental?
suggestive Bengal, for fact, now boy
Parallel. colts Britain, and for the
reasons that follow:
On the ID of February last Mr.. Brodrlck
received a cable from the Indian govern
ment exposing in detail the necessity or
reorganization of the Bengal government
rendered necessary by the TOO numerous
population and the development of lmpor-
tant industrial interests. necessitating
the reduction of the territorial jurisdiction
of the lieutenant governor by the transfer
of certain parts of Bengal to the neighoor-
ing province; to give to Assam an lnde-
pendent organization; to unite under one
administration the scattered sections OF
populations speaking the Uriya language
the new province TO be called the NORTH
East Province.
On the 9th of June Mr. Brodrick replied
to the viceroy of India that the plan was
accepted, but that the name of the province
should be East Bengal and Assam
This reorganization of Bengal provoked
violent agitation among the HindooS ana
Mohammedans and incendiary pamphlets
have been circulated urging rebellion
against reorganization tending to divide
the native population. The high priest or
the Buddhist temple of Kalighat at Cal
cutta received the solemn oaths and protes-
tations of 10000 faithfuls in the presence
of the goddess Kali that they would boy
colt all English manufactures. AT Poonah,
In the province of Bombay, the ancient cap
ital of the Mahrattes. with 10000 inhabi-
tants, the people stripped English fabrics
from their persons and burned them In
bonffres. Bengal was in blaze, and also
Bombay Perhaps all India will boycott
Manchester?
The reconstruction as proposed by govern
ment was as follows:
A new province with the status of lieu
tenant governor, consisting of the Chitta
gong, Dacca, the Rajshahi divisions of
Bengal Nadia, the state of Hill Tipperah
and the present chief commissionership of
Assam.
The existing province of Bengal diminish
ed by the surrender of three large terri
tories on the east and of the five Hind
states of Chutra Naghcr, but increased by
the acquisition of Sambalpur and the five
Wriya states aforementioned, will consist
of 141 $50 square miles with a popula ton of
ffty-four millions, of whom forty-two mil
lions are Hindus and nine millions Moham-
medans. Briefly, the territories now com
posing Bengal and Assam will be divided
in two compact and self-contained prov
inceS by far the largest constituency of
which will be homogeneous in character and
will possess clearly-defned boundaries and
be equipped with the complete resources of
an advanced administration.
Such was the Indian governments appre-
clation. The boycotters hold quite a diff
ferent view. The New India
view oi is their constituted organ 1t
Boycotters says:
There are two ideas at the
root of this boycott movement. One is
economical and the other political; one idea
IS that by this means we shall be able to
and crafts and thus help the cause of our
commerce and industrial regeneration; the
other is that by this refusal TO use foreign
and specially British-made articles, the
people will learn to assert themselves
against the present foreign despotism that
rules them in the interest of alien peo-
pie and gradually rise to a consciousness
of their own strength and capacity for that
passive resistance which is the only weapon
with which a dsarmed people may fight IT'S
armed rulers
The New India points to the universal
rejoicing in India over Lord Curzon's resig-
nation; over the burning of English manu-
features and a cessation of commerce with
England. 1t is the awakening of India
Lord Curzon resigned some time in Au-
gust and was succeeded by Lord Mimic.
The cause of the difference briefly resumed
is as follows: Lord Curzon recommended
Sir Edward Barrow, commanding the Pesh-
awar division, as general supply member
as acceptable to Lord Kitchener and him
self. Mr.. Broderick replied that he was
unable to favor the selection and requested
Lord CurZon to consult with Lord Kitche-
ner. To this the viceroy answered that eff
his proposal was rejected he declined fur
thnr oil ;,l,o