Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-10

I
aspirations of those Indian pa
~ triots, who are demanding auton-
omy, are not altogether sentimental
distractions. There are certain reforms
in government which the Indians de-
sire,' which the English will not give
them and which may be hoped for only
after India has become a self-goVern-
ing section of the empire.
First of these is a decree Of divorce
of the executive from the judicial
power. Abuses arising from the invest
ment in one man of the power to in
terpret the law and administer Its
judgments would be likely to arise in
any country. Where the holder of that
joint power is an Englishman, cont-
dent of his racial and intellectual su-
periority placed over people of eX-
treme sensitiVeness, the opportunity
for trouble is multiplied. The integrity
of the judge does not alter the case
the total lack of sympathy between
him and the people brings about mis-
UNDERSTANDINGS and a train of conse-
quent evils.
The second most important reform
demanded by the Indians, and not
hoped for until self-goVernment Is
granted, is tariff reform. The Indian
tariffs are now levied for revenue pur-
poses only, and i'm such fashion as not
to initiate against the interests of the
English manufacturers. The Indians
demand the institution of a protective
tariff.
They wish to encourage the growing
and manufacture of cotton in India by
imposing a high duty on cotton goods
from England. The refusal of the
British government to consent to such
1Nt.fF, riFafr
on the 'swadeshi' boycott, Indians
organized themselves into unions and
mutually pledged themselves not to buy
or wear "beiati" or foreign-made
goods Boys in the streets stripped
ignorant coolies of their loin cloths be-
cause they were "belati." Such boys
were sent TO prison for six or eight
months, but that could not end the
boycott. Women were brought into
the unions, and in India, as in all the
rest of the world, the women are the
shoppers, They Joined the "swadeshi"
unions all over the country and refused
to purchase English-made goods.
The result has been a revival in ma
tive industries, but the leaders admit
that the boycott is but a poor substi-
tute for a protective tariff. Given the
right to impose tariff duties against
England. as well as against the rest
of the world. the. Indians believe they
can establish a great manufacturing
community, relieve the crowded agri-
cultural districts and make a new pros
perity for the people.
Then they would give their own rep
resentative assemblies entire control of
the finances of the country The con-
troll of financial legislation by the
house of commons in England, and the
story of how that power was wrested
from the crown and the lords, is the
measure of the liberty of the English
people. For violating that right
Charles I lost his head. The American
constitution sought to give entire con-
troll over the revenue to the lower and
more representative branch of con-
gress. In India the people hope for
that power because of the imposition
upon the Indian taxpayers of imperial
expenditures in which the Indians have
no interest, and in the benefits of
which they do not share. The self
governing British colonies pay practi-
cally nothing toward maintaining the
imperial army and navy. Only during
the recent war scare have Canada and
Australia and the other free nations"
come forward with proffers of battle
ships The English home government
cannot demand contributions from its
self-g governing colonies.
India, on the other hand, pays not
only for the troops which maintain
order within the country, which Is a
proper charge, but they also pay a vast
amount of money for purely imperial
purposes. TWo-thirds of the army ex-
penditure in India is used in the main
tenance and protection of scientific
frontier" This means that India is
paying for English extension of domin-
ion over the crest of the Himalayas
and for England's perennial fear of the
Russian advance. The scientific 'front.'
Ter" is in theory one marked by ma
ture, but it has been advanced further
and further into the heart of Asia as
opportunity has offered.
Furthermore, India has had to pay
the cost of three disastrous expeditions
aimed at the conquest Of the uncon-
querable Afghans. Indian money and
Indian blood has been spilled in these
vain wars, despite Indias peaceful at
titude. India also paid for the foolish
war with Tibet, an attempt to estab-
lish a British resident in Lhassa and
pave the way for British annexation
of the western dependencies Of the
Chinese empire.
Shortly after the civil war in Amer
lea, England launched a punitive war
against Abyssinia, far away in the
heart Of Africa. 1t cost an immense
sum of money and part of the cost
was charged to India under the plea
that the necessity of the war had
arisen chiefly from the effect which
the immunity of the king of Abyssinia
would have on the eastern mind, and
therefore, on the interests Of the In
dian empire.
The Indians object to paying enor-
nous taxes to support armies which are
not employed in India's behalf. 1t
isn't India which seeks to extend the
Indian frontier over the mountains; it
is England. The indian native troops