Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-27
COUNCIL FOR INDIA
Reforming Rule to PIacate thu
People.
ADVISORY BODY PLANNED
ALI Creeds, Races and Sections to Bo
Represented.
ENGLAND TO STAY PARAMOUNT
Territorial Magnates and Native Rul-
ers to Counterfeit Agitation of the
Radical Political Self-Seekers.
ENGLAND TO STAY PARAMOUNT
Special Cablegram TO The Star.

Special CabeSram TO The Star.
LONDON, September 27.-The radical
element IN India refuses to accept the re-
forms proposed by the British government.
and the situation is mora serious than ever.
The "pleaderlog" Qawyer folk and tho
congrosswallahs Disguised with the
proposed reforms, which they characterize
as a sham and delusion.. because pre-
sumably, so far from seeing therein a re-
alization OF the Swaraj or home rulo
propaganda, they find only menace to
their own future influence in Indian So
ciety. The Mohammedans are delighted,
and Anglo-Indians generally praise the
moderation of language with which such
an epoch making scheme has been launched.
as also the fufllment of the viceroys
promise that the public shall have an ample
opportunity for criticism before the reforms
are actually Initiated.
1t is recognized that the time has ar
rived when endeavor should be made
to correct the faults of the old system IN
India, whose leveling tendencies allowed
functions belonging to the natural rulers
of the native community. But sincere
doubts are entertained in many quarters
to whether India is ready for a COM
plete overhauing of the administrative ma
chinery as proposed. Papers have been Is
sued relating to the establishment of an
imperial advisory council and OF provincial
advisory councils In India, the enlarge
ment of the imperial and provincial legis-
lative councils and the discussion of the
budgets in the latter.
Plans for Government.
King Edwards government examined the
proposals submitted to them by the govern
ment of India and authorized the governor
general in council to consult local govern
ments and invite public opinion on the SUBJ
ject. 1t seemed to the government OF India
that the purposes which it has In view
might possibly be attained somewhat on
the lines of the following proposals:
% That an imperial advisory council
should be formed for purely consultative
purposes; co that all the members should
be appointed by the viceroy; 90 that the
council should consist of about sixty mem
bers of the whole of India, including about
twenty ruling chiefs and a suitable number
of the territorial magnates of every prov
ince where landholders Of sufficient dignity
and status are to be found "a that the
members should hold Office for a substan-
tial term. say five years, and should be
eligible for reappontment; 90 that tho
council should receive no legislative recog-
milton, and should not he vested with Fog
NAL powers of any sort: 90 that its func-
tons should be purely advisory. and that
it should deal only with such matters as
might be specifically referred to II from
time to time; "a that the proceedings OF
the council when called together for colleo-
tive consultation should as a rule be pIi-
vate, informal and confidential, and they
hi el,..I hon th.A
eminent would be at liberty to make any
use of them that it thought proper.
Violent Anti-British Agitation.
Fierce agitation has been going on in
north India for the last six months. Tie
propaganda is largely political. being v'o-
lently anti-British and. except where 1t
suits otherwise. violently anti Mohamme-
dan. Early in May the British authorities
in the Punjab resolved that the agitation
in their province had transgIessed the
bounds of legitimate agitation. and they
decided to deport two of the leading agita-
torst These were two citizens of Lahore,
Lala Lajpat Raj and Ait Singh by name,
the one a lawyer practicng In the Lahore
courts, and the other a tutor in the ver-
nacular to the British officers of the army.
The authorities had received Information
that outbreak had been planned for May
1C, or at least was probable upon that day.
The 10th of May is the anniversary of the
of officers at Meerut in 1851. 1t was, in
fact, this year the jubilee anniversary OF
the outbreak, and with an ignorant popu-
lation anniversaries and tub'lees are int4-
nations that time has come round again
and is summoning to "A fresh beginning.
The great new sect of the Punjab Is tho
sect OF the Aryas. At first both Laipat Raj
and Ait Singh were declared to be mauf-
bers of the sect. Lajpat Raj was not only
a member. he was one of the AtNa leaders.
Later however. Ait Singh was repudiated
by the Arya Samaj. He proved to be
neither an Arya nor a Hindu, but a hete-
rodo Sikh.
When the arrests were made at Lahore
another leading asitator. Babu Nipin Cham
ORA Pal a Bengal conducting Il cam
paign in south India. Pal was known as
a leader Of the new Brahma sect. tho
the Brahma Sauna. or Theistic Religious So
cety. At Madras Pals series of lectures
on The Present Political Movement in In
dia' was proceeding. the usual concourse
OF young men attending, when suddenly the
bolt fell at Lahore. knowing himself to he
a counselor of violence, Pal judged IL wse
to cancel a lecture already announced. and
left Madras for Bengal, where up to this
time the authorities had been opposed 1.
strong measures even with encouragers of
violence.
N Renain Pc ra mount