Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-15

peror OF India. issued a message TO the
princes and people of In
Amnesty dia on November 1. the
o.,4.s fiftieth anniversary of
Queen Victoria's procla
nation, granting amnesty to political pris
oners and the gradual extension to In
dams OF the principle of representation in
government.
On Monday, November |. 1858. the Brit
ish government succeeded to the establish
ment Of the British East Indian Company,
which had been organized in India in 1900.
An interval of century separates the
two great crises in the history of British
India. Gives victory at Plassey in 1857
and the Indian mutiny in 1898. In this
interval there was war between England
and France. both aspiring to establish an
| Indian empire. On the British side was
Give, on the French, Duplex. La Bour-
donnais and Lally. The victories of Give
in the field were completed by those Of
Warren Hastings in council. Singular
| story. that of the policy Of both the Eng
fish and French actors in the drama en-
acted. Give was censured by the house of
commons and escaped condemnation only
by the motion of Wedderburn. which de-
clared that Lord Give had rendered
great and meritorious services to his coun-
try" Warren Hastings was less fortunate,
being formally impeached and also mar
rowly escaping condemnation
The French. represented by the distin-
guished Duplex. were checkmated by the
rivalry Of La BourdonnaiS. The former was
stripped of his fortune and died broken
hearted, the latter was imprisoned In the
Bastille The supreme disgrace and degra-
dation was reserved for Lally. Baron de
Tollendal who. accused of treason. was
dragged, bound and gagged. to execution
in 1766. His prosecution was model OF
government ingratitude and iniquity.
The mutiny of the Sepoys May 10. 1887.
threatened the whole fabric of British
rule in India. the siege of
sepoy Delhi, the defense Of
x.. Lucknow by Lawrence
and the names of Sir
James Outran. Lord Clyde. Lord Strath-
narn, Inglis. Roberts and many others
form brilliant page of British valor.
The suppression of the mutiny marked
the transition and the passage of India
under the direct authority of the crown.
and January /. 1877, Queen Victoria was
proclaimed Empress of India at a durbar
of unparalleled magnificence at Delhi
India is not one country but many
countries, not one people but many peo-
pies: they speak nineteen principal lam
guages with 147 vernacular dialects: they
profess nine leading religions, besides
smaller sects.
Some writer little versed in ethnology
and religion has said that all race preiu-
dice and religious caste should be swept
away. The fact is that when that day
If If c0nld there would he
instant home rule, India for the Indians
in India"
The celebration in India and England
of King Edwards sixty-seventh birthday
connection with the kings message to
India. the concessions to Indians and at
the same time in connection with Euro
pean questions which may not be Sepa-
rated from general politics.
Prime Minister Asquith was the princi-
pal speaker at the Guildhall banquet on
the night of November 8,
Asqulth's which brought to a close
All, the celebration of King
Edwards birthday. He
devoted his observations mainly to the
European situation. After congratulating
Turkey in the person of the Turkish am
bassador Musurus Pasha ION the sue
cess of the most amazing revolution in the
annals of history" he declared that SUBJ
ject to the important principle that inter-
national treaties could not be altered ex-
cept by the consent of all the signatorieS,
the British government had no prejudice
against or preference in favor of any par
ticular settlement.
Referring to the Anglo-Russan entente
his majestys government considered that
Russia had acted with the greatest re-
straint under exceedingly trying circum-
| stances in following a policy of non-inter-
vention in Persia. And the prime minister
referred to the present German situation
only by insinuation Just year ago.
he said. 1.-The German emperor. while
on visit to England, emphatically de-
clared himself animated by a desire for
friendship with Great Britain and the
maintenance of the peace of Europe
The Nation Uondon) contains an ar
| ticle by Sir William Wedderburn entitled
THE India of Today i'm which he says
that formerly during the lifetime of the
old East India Company there was a
searching inquiry into Indian affairs. That
was the opportunity to bring abuses to
light and to redress grievances. FROM
these periodical inquiries date the acts
of parliament which abolished trade
monopoly, limited the powers of the COM
pany and initiated progressive measures
for the benefit of the Indian people.
x
x =
But since 1855" says Sir Wedder-
burn, when the crown took over the
direct administration of In
Bureau d:a. these grave inquisi-
pecinoe tons of the nation have
ceased. For the last half
century, therefore the control of parlia-
ment and the British democracy over In
dian affairs has pra ctically been in abey-
ance: and the administration of India
has been a pure bureaucracy, a bureau
cracy singulary honest and industrious
and well meaning. but subject to the
vices inSeparable from the bureaucratic
system, the vices of arrogance. central
iZation. secrecy and suspicion. Under
this rigid mechanical system the people
of India have for many years remained
quiescent Now at last change has
come, and the reason is not far TO seek
During these fifty years three or four
generations of educated Indians have
passed through our Indian colleges. men
of scholastic attachments sufficient to pro-
duce senior WranglerS at Cambridge and
to head the list in the civil service compe-
tition. In public affairs. too. they have
done we'll as judges and prime ministers
of Indian principalities. These men. nur-
tured on western literature, have aspira-
tons for national recognition. for free
dom and self-government; they see the
poverty the famine and the pestiience.
and they are convinced that these calam-
tiles would be mitigated if the people had