The Elbert County tribune., 1912-03-01
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which will affect 100000 human beings and
an area as large that of France or Germany
The province of Bengal, which was partitioned
by Lord Curzon in 1905, against the violent
protest of its people, and which has been the
headquarters of the sedition In India ever
since, Is to be reunited The great divisions
OF Behar, Chota Nagpur and Orissa which now
belong to Bengal, although their populations
are distinct in race and language will be de-
tached from Bengal and form a new province.
under the control of lieutenant governor and
council Assam is to be separately admins
Vered Dy chief commissioner, as was the case
prior to 1905. Lastly, the province of Bengal
Is to be raised to the rank of presidency
tafter the example of Madras and Bombay
with governor from England appointed by the
king - '-o
1t is hardly an exaggeraton to say that
no such sweeping administrative change as
tnls mas taken place since the British crown
took over the government of the country from
the East India company at the close of the mn
tiny In 1858. AS to the motives which promnt
ed the move there is a conflict of opinion Tho
natfonalists regard 1t victory for their
cause They consider that the modification of
the partition of BengalEwhich the English au
thorities have repeatedly declared would never
be altered-is confession Of weakness on the
part OF the government and some of the lead.
ers Of the unrest are bold enough to saw that
the government transferred the capitol to Delhi
On the other hand, the dispatches which passed
between Simla and London, which have now
Deen MADE public. contain array of practical
arguments in favor of the change which sue
cessfuly disposes ofsany theory that the gov
ernment was driven to the measure as the re-
suit of seditious agitation. In less troublous
times the move would seem justified on plain
administrative grounds. As it Is 1t must be-
considered as a bold experiment which is ad-
mirable in theory but which in practice can
only be justified by success
Curiously enough its first effect has been
precisely the opposite of what was expect
ed 1t was thought that the Mohammedans
would hail with joy the establishment Of
the central government In the ancient cap
ftal OF the Moghul emperors. On the con-
trary. they have been the first to denounce
the arrangement, declaring with true In
dian perversity that sentimental considers
tions mean nothing to them In comparison
with the loss of their political power In the
abolition OF the province of Eastern Bengal
1t is not the Mohammedans but their ances-
trail foes the Rajputs. who welcome the es-
tablishment Of the capital within easy reach
of their territory The Bengalis, too, who
were expected to resent the loss of prestige
to Calcutta involved in the transfer. have de-
clared that they are more than compensated
by the wished-for union of the Bengal peo-
pie. The Hindus in Eastern Bengal have been
lighting bonfres for month past in celebra-
ed the inhabitants of the newly created prov
fnce of Behar and Orissa pleased at their
release from Bengal domination. Bombay the
Punjab and the United Provinces are sensible
of the advantages that will accrue to them for
geographical reasons. The rest of India is in
different.
Delhi is regarded by the government as a
better place for capital than Calcutta, be-
cause of its historic traditions central 10
cation. and better climate. which will en-
able the viceroy and his stan to reside
there for all but four months of the year On
the other hand. 1t is more removed from the
commercial interests and active life of modern
India. Europeans in Calcutta have not hs<l
tated in declaring that 1t will be little better
than "Simla Of the Plains" The rearrange
ment of the provinces will make for greater ad-
ministrative efficiency though that again is
criticized on the ground that the modification
of the partition of Bengal is a useless con-
cession to agitation that was already prac-
tically dead. while 1t will undo all the good
work which has been started in the backward