The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-02-26
PROTESTS AGAINST
BRITISH RULE
CONTINUED from First Page.)

. REFORMS proposed by Lord Morley
will effect no essential change. Lord
Morley himself declares: s'If 1t could
be said that this chapter of reforms
led directly or necessarily up to a
parliamentary system for India, /,
for one, would have nothing to do
with it,"
Imprisonment Without Trial.
mot only" it is alleged, "are the
Indian people allowed no part in
shaping the destiny of their own
country, but even freedom of speech
and of assembly are permitted only
under the severest limitations and
the most CALLING espionage, and free
dom of the press has been taken
away. Today fully one hundred edi-
tors are serving terms of from three
to ten years in prison, many of them
without trial, without having had
opportunity to defend themselves, in
not few cases without even having
been informed of the natpre of their
offense. The crime almost invariably
charged is 'sedition' In India the
mere discussion of reforms is pun
ished by open or secret imprison-
ment. There is no Indian home that
is not liable to be searched and fore
IDLY entered at any hour of the day
or night at the instigation of spying
police. There is no Indian gentle
man, however high his standing or
unimpeachable his character, who
may not at any moment be arrested
and hurried away to an unknown
prison. Nine such arrests and incar-
cerations took place recently in a
single week. Even distinguished
i Englishmen visiting India have their
mail tempered with and are Swallowed
by the police if they are so much as
suspected of any sympathy with the
Indian people.
DespOtic Censorship of the Press
'All Geographic and other news
from India is closely censored" it is
said, lin the English interest" What
, is learned by the world is for the
most part only the English view.
But one in Mr.. Roosevelt's position,
the protest insists, should have ade-
quately informed himself before un-
dertaking to speak on a subject af-
fecting the interests of some three
hundred millions of people. AIDE
! quate information is available. The
English Labor Party is taking up the
wrongs of India, determined that
they shall be no longer ignored. Dis
tinguished and able Englishmen,
many of them members of parliament
who have also had service in In
dia, resolved that the truth shall be
known. Sir Henry Cotton, M. P,
is quoted: Indian administration as
carried on today is system of pure
! absolutism from the Viceroy down.
wards, as autocratic as that of the
Car of Russia The idea that the
Indian people have any real share
in the government of their own coun-
try, he pronounces absolutely illu-
sorry"
Self-gOvernment Practicable
The letter insists that to assert, as
the president did, that India is incap-
able of governing itself is to ''fy in
the face of history. India governed
herself for thousands of years. In
, the history of India, We find empires
as illustrious and we'll ordered as any
in Europe" The same objections
were made by the supporters of Lord
North's government regarding the
American colonies-that eff left to
their own direction they would speed
lily fall into mutual strife, anarchy
and ruin" In like manner when ia
pan began her modern career it was
generally predicted that she could
not carry on government under
houCI COHulllOuS. AL the time EuS-
land first entered India, three hun
dred years ago. the old Mogul En-
pire was breaking up, new political
and military adjustments were form
ing and the country was in a state
of unusual turmoil, which gave the
. English their opportunity. But this
was temporary condition, and
would have passed as similar periods
in other countries have passed For
two thousand years India has been
far more peaceful than Europe.
There is no record of Indian wars
worse than the war of the Roses in
England or so bad as the Thirty
Years War in Germany, and none
that compare at all in loss of life
l. rr,s@ \.