The Washington times., 1908-02-16
INDIA kTRENBLE
WITH SEDITION.
ALARMS BRITAIN
British Army No Longer
Enjoys lis UnqueStion-
ed Dominance.

LONDON, Feb. 15.-At a mass meeting
or Hindus held here to protest against
the il-treatment Of their feIloW-coun-
trymen in the TFansvaaI, several speak
ers predicted that trouble was coming
in India.
The prediction viii probably be fui.
filled
India is rapid. marching toward revo-
luton Only a disciplined army now
holds the people IN check; a breakdown
Of that army or any external shock 10
British authority viii bring the bureau
cratic fabric or British rule IN Hindu
stan 10 the ground
Recent events show that England has
lost her prestige among the three hun
dred million Asiatic subjects. The ma
lives nov adopt a contemptuous and
even menacing attitude toward their
European masters. The attempt to
murder G. B. Allen. a magistrate OF
Degca. sent a shock OF anxiety through
England.
Shortly afterward the unrest in East
ern Bengal eliminated In an armed
attack Ipon a patrol OF policemen.
the police en- the town Of Mysenmingh.
The police, say the natives, looted the
shops, and beat the people. Panic has
since prevailed
The London newspapers declare tat
India is "s-'-emble with sediuon.'
Native No Longer Servile.
The natives are completely losing
their old-time servile respect for their
conquerors. Once they skipped from the
sidewalks as the white man stalked
along. Now they hold tueIr ground,
and grimace contemDtuously. English
women, nc longer guarded by the mystic
omuipoteLe. Of the British, fear 10 go
ont alone Even officials are iusuited-
Henry Labouchere, n. r, prints in
Truth a letter from an Anglo-Indian
which gives some idea OF the new state
Of affairs The writer says:
The Eaarer one gets 10 large villages
or towns the more frequent are the in
stances Of Tudeness or insult. An in
stance Of an atrocious yet very elusive
fern of insult very fashionable in Ger
tain districts is that as a native passes
YOU on the ~qad he hawks and splits with
great velle-hence and JUNCTION, meaning
thereby u es-press his disgust at the
pollution OF me atmosphere by your
presence"
India. however. is not relying on in
suits as Eer weapon. The real weapon
is "SWadeshi'
..Swadeshi is TO India what Sim Fem
is to IreI9n5. India, says its adherents,
can effect her deIiverance by passive
~esistaLca and by a systematic boycott
Of British goods. ''SWadeshi' is making
rapid progress. especially In Calcutta
and has already led to a widespread
boycott of British made cottons and
hardware.
With -'SwsdeshT' is "Swaraj," or
home rule, and what it means exactly
IS best shown by the words Of Mr.
Wfak. It's advocate. I'VE desire 10 make
India autonomous and absolutely free
from British control
England is now thoroughly alarmed
about India, all the more so because
she is beginning to recognize that the
new state Of affairs rs the result OF her
own plumbers. The 'Swadeshi' move
ment was the direct result Of the mon
stroUs partition of Bengal by Lord
CUrzon. who was warned in vain by
men who knew India better than him
self LHaL TIE tilGa5NAt WIN +Ne-NA ~
disaster.
Overtaxation is one Of the causes OF
midas repeated famlnes. each of which
is worse than the last, and which cost
some 100000 lives during the past cen
! fury. .,-,.,,,. 20, ,.-
from India without any return; II goes
on interest. the Upkeep Of the London
India office, and pensions 10 retire
! English officials. A distinguished Anglo
/ indian OFFICIAL the late J. Digby, cal
| ci1Iated that British eXactions had re-
/ drced the annual income Of the average
indian native by over SO per cent dur
I ing the past half century.
Japanese Alliance an Error.
The successes OF the japanese, once
like themselves a despised race, are
used IS an argument to nerve the Hin
dus TO self-sacrihce and devotion.
Another argument daily used by the
malcontcnts is that England allied her
self with Japan merely because she
could no longer hold India alone, With
Tananese like Count Okunaa openly de-
cIarinc that all Asiatie can count upon
| Japan's help. this alliance takes quite
! another color, and there IS no doubt
/ that all these factors taken together
prOraise the AnglO-lndian bureaucracy
! a more violent series Of political storms
1 than they la g yet experienced.