Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-03-14
Effect or british
RULE n! india
views Of a Former American
Consul Who Lived There.
WHAT HAS the NATIVE GAINED?

Both as Regards the Country's Rev.
enues and In Development Of Her
Growing Industries, He Claims. Eng
land Gets the Lions Share and the
Natives Only the Remaining Crumbs.
BY ABBOT LOW DOW.
have read with much interest the
very instructive and candid article OF
an English writer entitled British
Rule In India-lts Successes and Its
Failures" published in recent peri
odical and venture to present some
thing of the other Side of this Ques-
ton. because feel sure that disin-
terested observer who had lived in In
Ola. and in close touch with both Eng
Iishmen and natives. as | did some
years ago for about four years. would
not be likely to draw the conclusions
that that gentleman presents. perhaps
naturally from his point of view, and
he also avoids the great issues which
are controlling factors in the life and
welfare Of that people-namely. the
rate of wages. the land tax. which is
most burdenSome and excessive (and.
as he admits. three-quarters of the ma
tiveS of India derive their support
from the land). the government mo-
nopoly of salt which affects every in
dividual in the country, both in Brit
ish India and III the states with a
trade. also Il government monopoly.
Annual Income Of Each Person $40.
If it is true the government of
India is in short the government of
Indians for Indians by Indians" and
that the British rulers are in India
for the ultimate purpose of teaching
the Indians how to rule themselves"
it is not spread abroad upon the
houSetopS," nor WAS there any APP
parent evidence of such intention that
l could discover during the years that
l spent in the country; Oh the CON
trary. everything seemed to point to
the conclusion that India is governed
by the British raiah. by Englishmen
and for Englishmen all the time. and
tllIl lHt IldSScS VI Tic DtOJlc DIOut
in but small degree. excepting in the
conditions of peace and in the grow
ing facilities for transportation and
communication. which are necessary
factors in the development of the re-
sources of the country, that have
poured wealth into English pockets.
l could say nothing more Indicative
of the truth than to quote the writer's
own statement that nearly three
quarters of the natives of India sup
port themselves by the land. more than
1OO,O0O.OOO of them live in villages
of less than 500 inha bitants and
more than 2OO,0OO.OOO of them in vii
lagos of less than 1900 inhabitants:
Observation-Disclosures of them are re-
turned as iliterate. and their average
annual income is estimated at about
$40 Il head" Taking this statement
as correct. and it accords with my
own impression. what material gain
have the natives of that great coun-
try derived from British rule?
British Dictator In Each Native State.
In each of the native states there
is stationed British resident who
really occupies the position of dicta-
tor. Some years ago the gaekwar of
Baroda. under suspicion of having
caused the death by poisoning OF the
then British resident in that state
was deposcd. and Sir r. Madavah
Row. Il Mahratta Brahman born in Il
line of rajahs and one of the most
prominent statesmen of his day and
working 'hand in glove" with the
English. was placed in power there as
regent during the minority of the
gaekwar's successor. knew Sir
Madavah Row quite well. and he ac-
knowledged to me that the Indian peo-
pie felt and resented 1.-THE heel of the
-conqueror on their necks." but he was
ready to work with and in the inter-
est of England because he realized
that safe and peaceful conditions in
the country were infinitely better and
more conducive to the welfare of In
.dia than the formerly divided states in
constant conflict.
Eighteen Cents For Days Work.
During the years of British rule in
India. over Il hundred years and over
Il century and half III the country,
tie value of days labor has scarce
~ changed. The average wage in In
dia is about annas per day. and
few years ago. under Il silver stand
ard. it was lowered in proportion with
the deprecated value of that metal.
Today there is Il fixed valuation to
the currency making it nominally on
parity with gold. under which the
value Of the rupee is about SO cents.
AS there are IL annas to the rupee.
s annas is Is cents for a days work.
Surely it does not require much arGu-
ment to prove that this provides but
meanly for the barest necessaries Of
life and makes impossible the laying
by of any savings against the dread
full famnes that decimate the land.
| do not know why it should be sur
priSing. when one remembers the Gil
vided and antugonistic elements COM
prised in the people of India. that an
army of IJOO0 British troops and