The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-10

A. R. Howard.

Calcutta, Jan. 9.-The admipistration reforms expounded by Lord Morley In the House of Lords have not evoked any frantic enthusiasm among the dis- contented Hindus. The small measure of honor rule granted is thought to be entirely offset by the Criminal Proce- dure Act. recently adopted by the GOV ernor-aeneral in Council The parti- ton of Bengal-the disturbing fea- ture--remains.
 Bengali opposition centers on the provisions against criminal societies. Tn ese are condemned as unnecessary and as giving facilities for molesting the innocent. Nevertheless, respected Indian leaders heartily approve of the action against the Samintis, which are responsibla for the excess of the boy colt and for training youthful Anar- chists. The general reception given to the measures in Bengal Is quiet. largely owing to the knowledge that the original proposals were more dras- tic. including deportation. It is point ed out that there are organizations outside of India which are at work secretly stimulating and encouraging the youths who have committed them- selves to Anarchist methods. and that 1t issimpossible to check the mischief that Is thus being done.
 The Pioneer" says that strong measures only benefit strong Govern ments. and their moral effects depends on the public possessing perfect conh- dence, not only In the good intentions. but also in the dlscernment of it's rul- CTS. The paper thinks that the exer- else of summary powers aganst people in patches must infallibly raise the. question whether all are equally gull ty. It reviews in vigorous language the past policy of the Government which is compared with a schoof- master. who has allowed authority to slide out of his hands, and endeavors to recover H by the sudden application Of Draconian methods. The journal finds the clue to the present Iamentable situation in the ans, when introducing the oppressive meas
 men. proclaims sthat the very offences cravzuksf0r 6kpshS SsA tions: in the adop-. tion ef aAsyst4ni9fof a remissions. re- ieabes. and pardons. which only per- ple1 and Confuse the public sense of
 the country, and by which the Govern ment proclains that the very offences 1t professes to regard as so serious are.
 in fact, of no consequence; and, final
 ly. in the irrelevant talk as to whether
 reform should go before repression. or
 repression before reform, as though
 they had anything really to do with
 one another. At the bottom of the
 mischief, in short. is a desire for popu-
 iarity, elevated into a principle of po- liticaI action.
 I.era MorIey's Recomrne ndatlon.
 In his recommendation of the vil- lages as the future unit for the whole superstructure of local government
 Lord Morley laid upon the Indian Gov
 ernment a task of such magnitude that it may well be two years before the electorates are defined and organized. This uncertainty as to the very method of giving expression to the will of the people leads many of the wisest heads in Calcutta to hesitate before pro- Bouncing an opinion on the proposals. But so far as the scheme for enlarging
 the councils and giving opportunities for popular criticism are concerned, the genehal feeling Is that Lord Morley
 has been right in insisting on sub
 stantiai officiai majority in the Imperial. Council, and reasonable, if rather bold, in dispensing with an official majority in the Provincial Councils. It is gen. orally felt that the guarantees for the
 supremacy of British authority are adequate, while at the same time there
 is no impediment In the way of the
 capable native who commands the re- spect of his colleagues, nor any reason why he should not freely give express sion to native opinion in the Imperial Council without favor of assistance from official centers
 A Significant Change,
 Such a significant change in the numbers and composition of the Inn perial Legislative Council must result in making 1t more of a parliament and
 less of mere meeting than before. Certainly a clearly defined and pos" sibly a bitter Opposition will be form ed. all the bitterer because of its in- ability to prevent Government action In any way. It Is unquestiOnable that the general result of the new propo-
 saIs still further increases the direct power of the Secretary of State. The very guarantees against non official supremacy are designed confessedly to give effect to the decis- ions of the home Government. The absence of reference at this point to any discretion vested in the Indian Government marks finally a change of policy which had long been formulat- ing itself The Viceroy and the Coun- ell in India are already shorn of much of their old. practically final auth ority, and must in future stand less as a source of power than as a splendid in- strument for carrying out the policy of Whitehall.
 Strong efforts were made to avert the split which has resulted in the de- cision to hold two National" Con- RreSSeH, one at mduEdb anu one at Nagpur. The proposal of the Bengal representatives at the Allahabad con- vention that the adjourned congress should be called by pr. Rash Dehary Chose, the President. and that the draft constitution placed before it for adoption was rejected by a majority of the other provinces. A conference was. therefore, called by MT. Suzendra Nath Banerjee and others at the rooms of the Indian Association, Calcutta, to consider the policy to be adopted by the Bengalis towards the Congress at Madras. Babu Surendra Nath Baner- ice opened the proceedings by stating that there was a practical unanimity amonR Bengalees that in the present situation it would be unwise to keep hack from the Congress, and that they should join the Congress with this cNndition, that they would sign and accent the creed or the aims and ob- tects of the Congress as adopted by inc convention. and also accept the