The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-11

tunately il IS divided by the religious
quarrels of the Hindus and Mohammedans
and Is limited by the supreme Indian in
/ stlnCt Of caste.
The greater number Of the educated In
dams are B5ngaiis, ami the unrest has
found its expression in Bengal to a great
er extent than in any other section OF In
dia- Bengal, before the partition into the
two provinces Of Bengal and Eastern ben
gal recently ordained. had an area about
that Of Texas and a population equal 10
tnat OF the United States. The partition
/ IN 1919 followed close upon the heels OF
TIE Russo-Japa nes9 war The educated
Bengalis were elated by the victory Of an
AsiatiC power over a great nation of Eu-
rope, and when their sentimental pro-
V1nCial patriotism was outraged by the
partition they began the campaign OF ag-
ltatiOn having for its slogan india TOT
the Indians" The result OF that agitation
was to hurry the British government 10
partly fulfil its promises TO give the IN
I dlans larger share In the work OF gov
eminent
At present, and until modified by the
reform scheme which cannot become
operative until 1910 or later, India is gov
erned almost entirely by the English so
far lawmaking and policy are con-
/ Cerned. although the minor administrative
offices are mostly filled by natives The
secretary Of state for India in the Brit
] ish cabinet, WITH his council, forms the
! India office in London. Through that
agency the British parliament makes
/ laws for India These laws are specific
| only when pertaining to imperial matters.
For local government the British laws
are general I'm scope and are subject 10
J amplificatOn by regulations The vice
roy and the vice-regal executive council
make the regulations.
The interior legislation is enacted by
| the imperial legislative council. and the
! legislative councils of the seven great
| provinces into which British India is di-
/ vided. At present the imperial council is
/ composed Of the lieutenant governor Of
/ the province in which the council sits,
/ Bengal when the capital is at Calcutta,
/ in the winter. and Punjab, when it is at
/ Simla, in the summer, the commander-in-
| chief Of the army and the members or the
| executive council These eight members
sit by virtue Of their higher office. Then
! there are eleven members nominated by
/ the YicerOy, not more than six of whom
/ may be officials, and five other members
| who are elected, one each by the legisla-
l tive councils Of Madras, Bombay the
/ United Provinces and the Bengal cham
/ Der of commerce. This is the imperial
/ body which will be enlarged and extended
/ by the Morley reform scheme.
/ Some Of the provincial councils have q
/ few members elected by associations of
! land-hOlders, merchants or other classes.
/ But in each case the British official mem
/ bership is in the majority. In both the
/ imperial and the provincial councils. the
/ non-official members are usually natives.
/ but they are not chosen in such fashion
/ as 10 make them representative In any
! sense.
/ But in no case has the native element
! the power to do anything beyond make
/ suggestions. The British have kept all
/ the actual power in their own hands. The
/ educated Indians are demanding a share
/ in the power as well as in the emOlu-
I ments. Of government. Not until the ne
/ ceSs1t1es Of party politics in England
/ forced the hand of Lord Morley was
/ there a native Indian in the vice-regal
1 official cabinet. NJ. S. p. Sinha, appoint
| ed this spring to be the legal member Of
that august body, sits in the chair ocCu-
/ pied by Lord Macauiay and a score Of
/ scarcely less distinguished jurists. His
/ appointment was a victory for the Indian
| nation, II there is such a thing as an
/ Indian nation, but it caused rejoicing only
among Mr. Sinha's cOreligiOnists and par-
! tisans. The others cared not so much for
/ recognition Of native ability as Of the
ability Of the leaders of their own little
! cliques.
After all. the triplicate system of i'm
J perial, provincial and native states gov
eminent in India is largely under the con
1 troll Of the vicerOy, and much depends
upon his personality. The earl of Mimic
| who succeeded Lord Curzon Of Kedleston
in 1865, is the grandson Of the governor
/ general under the rule of the comuaDy
He has known and loved India from his
youth, and the policy of his rule has
been liberal beyond all precedent, Just as
| that Of Lord CurzOn was strenuous be-
yond anything India has ever known OF
| ever hopes to know. The future Of India
/ depends in a large measure upon what
| is done in this crisis Of transition to a
/ largely autonomous imperial state and
! Lord MintO's share in that action will be
/ great.
/ Copyright, 1903. by Frederic J. HaskinJ
! Tomorrow-The Empire Of India: VIII
/ Story Of British Dominion