Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-06


III NkNl olution in India publicly de-
lN KKNI plore the rise of anarchy
Ia. 0NI they privately declare that
&se1EsAsAll violence is always to be ex-
peoted from the more emotional sec
tions of any people thoroughly stirred
and aroused to unanimous discomfort
with their government. The anarchy
In India is not to be taken as meas
ure of the unrest and discomfort of
the people, for it Is quite insignificant
in comparison. Taken as the mani
festation of the emotions of the eX-
tremists and as a promise of what may
follow the anarchistic demonstrations
assume great Importance.
Then as the British police officer who
has had the measures of repression IN
hand remarked it must be remembered
that the Bengalese, who have been
mostly concerned in the anarchy, have
been always a peace-loving, inoffensive
people. The last two years records the
only instances of political violence
among Bengalese civilians in the two
centuries of British occupation. The
mutiny of 1857 was movement among
the mercenary soldiers who formed the
bulk of the British army, and 1t was
famed into flame by a tactless dis
regard for the oriental religious pre-
1udices of the rank and file of the ma
tive troops.
The present outbreak is entirely diff
ferent 1t is among educated civilians
who have absorbed western ideas OF
government and who demand western
privileges. The Sepoy mutiny was
Violent reaction toward orientalism.
The anarchy in India today is the re-
suit of a reckless attempt to advance
toward the full possession of the vices
and virtues of the occident. Bombs
and bomb-throwing are occidental III
origin, and the inspiration of the IN
dian anarchists is found In Europe ano'
so say the police, in America
1t Is impossible to give complete
history of the outrages which have been
perpetrated in India In the past two
years. but the case of the Calcutta
anarchists may be taken as a fair sam
pie. At first the assassinations and
attempted assassinations were confined
to the interior, and small magistrates
who had been severe in political cases
were the victims. Late In 1907 the as
pect of the affair was changed by
three successive attempts to wreck the
train carrying Sir Andrew Fraser, then
lieutenant governor of Bengal. once
the train was actually wrecked, but
Sir Andrew and his party escaped In
jury.
The regulation forbidding public
meetings was then enforced with re-
newed vigor. A few miles south of Cal
cutta is the small French town OF
| Chandergore, one of the small remain
ing bits of the once great French In
dian empire. Some Hindu students
sought to hold a meeting there or
! French territory and beyond the 1uris'
diction of the British. The French
mayor forbade the assemblage. With
in few weeks two bombs were thrown
into his carriage, one of which came
perilously near to accomplishing Its
object.
Early in 1908 a bomb was thrown 81
! the carriage of Judge Kingsport OF
Mozufferpore, an interior city. The
Judge had ordered the whipping OF sew
eral members of one political unior
and had decreed the deportation of ar
| agitator. The anarchists were waiting
| for his carriage. and when they saw
1t cast the bomb without waiting tC
see IL the judge was in 1t. He was
not, but the bomb exploded and killed
! Mrs. and Miss Kennedy, guests OF
Judge Kingsport. One of the men whC
threw the bomb committed suicide, the
other was hanged.
There was some evidence that the
| two men were sent out from Calcutta
under orders TO assassinate Judge
Kingsport and to take the conse-
quences There was no attempt to es-
cape, as the murderers believed they
! had killed their man. The man who
was hanged shouted "Bandemataram
the forbidden national anthem, on the
scaffold.
Soon after this the Calcutta police
found their quarry. They made a raid
on a house in Muraripooker Garden in
| Calcutta. In this and subsequent raids
| thirty-six men were arrested. In the
garden was found a completely equipped
factory for making bombs, with large
stock OF explosives and arms. The
trunk of a huge tree was filled with
! bullets, the result of frequent target
practice. Many seditious documents
were found and others were luckily
discovered" by an over-zealous police
force.
The men were all taken before a
magistrate, and after an examination
which lasted fifty days were committed
to be tried before a higher court on the
| charge of conspiracy to wage war
against the king. The court before
which they were taken is q curious
example Of the combination of judicial
and executive functions in the Indian
| government. An English Judge tried
| the case, assisted by two native tax
| assessors. The two assessors occupied
the bench with the Judge, and at the
| end of the trial, which lasted for 12S
days; gave their verdict. The judge, as
usual, paid no attention to the asses
sors, but gave his judgment as he
pleased, overruling his nominal asso-