The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-09

Calcutta, India.-The scheme Of consti-
tutional reform for India, announced last
November by Viscount Morley OF BLACK
burn, secretary Of state for India. mar Ks
an epoch in the history Of British rule
IN this great AsiatiC empire II is lns
aVOWed purpose OF the reform scheme 10
IulIli the promises made by queen VIC
tOria when she assumed the rule OF india
IN 1893. and repeated later by victoria
as empress and by Edward VII, to give
! the Indians a large share in the govern
ment OF the empire. As these REFORMS
nave been long promised the BrltOh IN
india is insistent TO a degree upon ms
theory that the scheme is not advanced
as result Of the unrest but rather
IN spite Of disturbances and discomfort.
NeNertheless, il cannot be denied mat
the unrest had much to do with bring
ing England to the point Of redeemlng
some OF its old promises tenJauEe
scneme Of reform was advanced IN ISJ',
full discussion Of its provisions was
couTted, and the result was the announce
ment of the Morley scheme in November
last The British parliament proceeded
! then to wrestle with its general prOVl-
slOns and the Indian government began 70
prepare for the regulations which Will
give it effect.
In general terms. the Morley reform
scheme may be described as a concession
to the natives of India giving them a
voice in the administration of government
IN botn legislative and executive
branches The Tory English protest that
II goes much too far, and that It was
unWlse to grant any concessions when
the unrest Of the country demanded
repression. Lord Morley, the erstwhile
John Morley who was the only English
man who did not dearly love lord,
adhered to his announced policy. how
ever. declaring that anarchy and disor-
der must be put down with the iron hand
and that the reforms must be granted
at the same time.
Under the reform scheme, native Indi-
h7Fh off q a nd n
cial seats in the imperial and provincial
legislative councils. 1t is carefully pro-
Vlded that the government shall always
nave q majority Of the council, and no
provision is made for the retirement of
government when it is adversely voted
upon in council. In this all-important
respect the reform scheme falls short Of
the self-goYeTning constitutions Of Eng
lands free nation" colonies. But IL viii
be possible under the new regime to have
native majOTities in the councils, pro-
vided some Of them are attached to the
government
Natives have had seats in the Iegisla-
tive councils for years, but they have
not mad any power beyond speeChmak-
ing. Under the new scheme, the cOun-
ellis will have the right to debate the
budgets so far as concerns matters not
purely imperial. That means that they
may discuss the appropriations for all in
ternal expenditures except for the army,
and few other things over which Eng
land retains supreme and undivided
power.
Another most important concession is
the grant Of the right Of Interpolation.
That means that native members Of coun-
ellis may, as Of right, ask questions in
council Of the heads Of the executive de-
partments and may insist upon answers
which meet the issue squarely. Hereto
for no Indian has enjoyed the right to
demand Of his government an account Of
is stewardship in any particular.
The constitution OF the imperial and the
various provincial councils under the re-
form scheme will be very complex. There
Will be a certain number Of official heads
of departments who VIII have seats eX-
OfficiO. Then there win be members
elected by associations. by chambers OF
commerce and, in the imperial body by
the provincial councils. other members
will be nominated, that is appointed, by
the viceroy for the imperial body and by
the governors for the provincial legisla-
lures.
In the provincial councils there will be
some members elected from the people.
The right Of direct suffrage is not
granted to the people as a whole, but
landowners who pay about 5000 a year
land tax and 81 year income tax viii
be qualified as electors. This very lin
tied suffrage is granted only indirectly,
as q college Of electors similar to that
which elects the president of the United
States is interposed as a buffer between
the people and the council. It is a far
cry from such a system to free repre-
sentative government. as 1t is known in
America. but both English and native
leaders are agreed that it would be dis
astrous to give suffrage to the uneducated
millions Of India No such step is con-
templated. even in the program Of the
most extreme "swaraJ or india for the
Indians" party.
The provision for separate representa-
ton for MOhammedans in these councils /
has caused a storm Of protest to go up
from the more numerous Hindu commun-
1fV The HindEz hone the
given by the reforms and then TO settle
the case Of the Moslems in their own
way. This very spirit is the reason the
British government mas Insisted upon
some method Of assuring Mosem repre-
sentatiOn. The Hindus are in the major
ity by about five to one, and their hatred
OF the MOhammedans. who held them In
governmental bondage for so many centu-
ries, is intense.
If there were no separate representa-
ton, the Hindus would have all the elect l
i've offices. For a time they might be
lenient to the MOslems. but any dav
might bring an explosion. Mohammedans
eat beef, and therefore kill cows. Cows
are sacred to the HindUs, but they usu-
ally wink at the MOslem profanity. But
let a MOslem kill a COW in sight of a
Hindu community on a Hindu religious
festival and there will be trouble. The
HtudUs find a pig, an unclean animal
TO the Moslems, they kill the animal ana
throw il into the mOsdue-thereby deftl-
ing the Mohammedan place Of prayer
The next morning the police find bodies
of dead people all about the streets, the
newspapers are full Of riot head lines,
nd there is 2 sChiSm among the edu-
Gated Indians who are fighting for their
native land for Swadeshi and SWaraj.
These quarrels cannot be kept out OF
high places until human nature in its
Indian form is remOulded and shapedi
anew.
The grant Of separate representation
Will also bring about constant pickering
and strife. Some of the extreme Hindus
20 so far as to say that this provision
nulifies the whole scheme so far as prac-
teal good is concerned. They declore
it is but another manifestation OF the
old policy Of ''peTfidiOus Albion IN seek
ink to divide. and rule
OF equal importance with the legIsla-
tive councils and their expanded rights.
are the executive councils to be created
in the provinces. A Hindu has been al
ready given a portfolio in the vicerOy'
cabinet. In the provincial executive coun-
ellis, which correspond exactly with west
ern cabinets having each member at the
head of a separate administrative depart
ment. native members will share with the
English the hon0rs and responsibilities of
office. This will effect a reform OF far
reaching Importance. It will put natives
at the head of executive departments
where they may be reached without any
trouble by the native population. The ad-
ministrat0T Will understand the complaint
Of the petitioner. which no European can
hone to do in nine cases out Of ten. and