The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-24
UNREST IN INDIA.
England Taxed by an Educated Hindu
with Violating Her Pledges.

To TIN EDITOR or THE suN--Sir: I am a
Hindu by race and a graduate OF the Madras
University. also Of Princeton University.
New Jersey. and at present l am principal OF
the Central College. Colombo. Ceylon. With
great interest l have read the two letters on
India recently published In your columns.
and I request the courtesy OF your columns
to make q few remarks on the subject.
There Is no room for doubt that matters In
India are changing from bad to worse. even
the Secretary of State for War In the British
Cabinet having only recently declared the
situation to be grave. l believe wherever
men Of the Anglo-Saxon race choose to coll
oniSe and rule they ara bound TO do good.
and sometimes in spite Of themselves. That
England has done a world Of good TO the
indigenous masses Of India, lifted them up
from the mire OF superstition and ignorance
and saved their millions from bloodshed OF
internal and interneoine wars and rebeilions
no thoughtful and loyal Hindu can possibly
deny. The present serious unrest In India
IL due to several causes. but the chief among
them Is the reluctance OF England to fulnl
the solemn pledges Of free citizenship 20
plainly. frequently and emphaticsily made
TO the people of India from the time England
secured a footing In India.
When Bombay lat present the second largest
city in the British Empire) had been acquired.
the Government OF England. In granting IL
to the British East India Company wrote the
following words under the date Of March ~.
1909:
And II is declared that all persons being his
Msjcsty's subjects inhabiting within tho said
island and their children and their postcrity born
within the limits thercof shsn be deemed free
denlEens and natural subjects az n itrtne AND born
IN England.
Queen Victoria in her letter to Lord Derby.
Governor.General OF India. commanding him
to write the proclamation. said:
And point out tho privileges which the Indisns
viii receive In being placed on an equality with the
subjects Of the British Crown. and prosperity flowing
In the train OF civilization.
Well, these beautiful declarations have
been consistently. ignored by the autocrats
ever In the fiscal administration OF India.
$50 years OF British rule In India the people
arms. that no native Is appointed, to any re-
sponsible position in the army and that he is
Mr.. Charles i. i. stuart-Linton In his letter
OF August IL says: In 1870 competitive exami-
~nations for the Indian civil service were opened
words provide a good Illustration Of a state
nlent apparently true being used 70 hide the
sTHfn dGS% arr fsf he iidai only n E England a ahd Under der
Indians from the civil service. Repeatedly
Government to hold these civil service ex-
aminations simultaneously In India. but an
emphatic negative answer has invariably
been returned.
The highest appointments inthe civil service
are almost entirely held by Englishmen. The
highest revenue Official in q district is called
the district collector. and he draws a salary Of
about $1,000 a year; Of such high salaried on
Gals In south India only three or four are
natives. In Ceylon. where political conditions
are much the same as in south India. during
the last twenty years only three natives have
been appointed TO the civil service. and none
during the last six years: whereas about q
dozen Englishmen enter the civil service every
Viceroy's Council. and one of the most level
headed Indian politicians. says:
Our net revenue is about G<4.000D00 sterling.
OF this very nearly one-half is eaten up by the
army. Tho homo charges, exclusive Of their mill
tary portion, absorb nearly one third. These two
OF forty four millions. Then more than Gs.OO0. 900 is
paid to European of1cials In civil employ. This
leaves only about e. 900 1000 at the disposal Of the
Government to be applied to other purposes. Can
that the Government spends only a miserable three
quarters OF a million out OF the State funds on the
education OF the people7 Japan came under thc
influence Of Western ideas only forty years ago,
Vanced natives OF the West in matters Of education.
the State finding funds for the education Of every
child OF school going age. We have now been q
hundred years under Englands rule, and yet to -dsy
four villages out OF every Ave are without a school
house and seven children out of eight are allowed
TO grow up In ignorance and darkness. Miitarism,
service interests and the interests OF English capl-
tallsts, all take precedence TO day OF the true inter-
ests OF the Indian people In the administrator OF the
country.
S. C. X. RUTNAM, NJ. A.,
President Central College. Colombo. Ceylon.
NEW YORK, August %.