Evening star., 1914-08-16

empire as a source OF strength IN the
present war. that is. strength to Ger
many. A little earlier a shipload OF
Hindus, after vain efforts to secure q
landing at Vancouver. were driven out
of that port on their chartered Japanese
ship. They We're British subjects. most
of them Sikhs, who comprise the best
element among the Hindus, and who have
been one of the main supports of British
rule in India.
1t is an old controversy this determine
ton of Canada Australia and other Brit
ish colonial commonwealths to keep out
the bronze race whether British subjects
or not Australia, notwithstanding the
japanese alliance, rigidly excludes Asa
tics. whether japanese or Hindus. Canada
does the same. but the controversy as to
British subjects has more often been
brought to focus there.
In years gone by the dread of England
was the possibility of Russia attacking
the Indian empire Now. England and
Russia are allies in war. and Russia is
equally interested with England in pro-
tecting India both from attack from with
out and from within.
How far there may be basis for Ger
manys hope, or even expectation, that
England will be confronted with a for
m.dable problem in India recent events
give no clue.
That india is seerhing with discomfort
and anarchy is known only in gen.
eral way. That a condition of terrorism
for British rulers has existed for two
years or more is only vaguely recollect-
ed by the American reading public.
which quickly forgets the newspaper
accounts OF attempted assassinations. :.
British ofisials t, charged % With, colonial sssi
things. Though nothing has been said
Of them. there Is no question that they
have had the consideration of the Brit.
ish government in the swift rush Of
war in Europe.
1t is one of the anomalies Of interna-
tional AFFAIRS that the victory of the
japanese over Russia and the British
the most formidable movement of In
dian discomfort that England has known
since the Sepoy mutiny.
was in India a year or 80 after those
foreign observer was. with the evidence
Of the new spirit among the natives.
Though the Japanese disclaim any
racial affinity with the widely separated
the natives looked upon Japan as the
challenger Of the superiority Of the
Caucasian race and its assumed right to
rule the world.
ciated the value of the Japanese alli-
ance to Engand in the sphere Of world
politics. nevertheless deprecated the
effect on India British army officers,
who looked upon themselves as the
real mainstays of British rule, and who
frankly declared that India could be
held only by the sword. openly depre-
Gated the Japanese alliance. Some Of
them even asserted that in the end 1t
would be the undoing of the Indian
empire. because 1t had given millions
on millions of non-Caucasians a false
idea OF their own strength.
At that period there was much unrest
and agitation: there was also a secret
movement which the British bureau-
cracy in India confessed that it could
not fathon. English public opinion was
divided. and q large element favored
concessions to the spirit of Indian ma
tionality. The ruling British element
both civilian and military. stoutly op-
posed all concessions and even thwart-
ed some measures of the home govern
ment
Lord Curzon, brilliant and arrogant
during his term as governor general
had undertaken certain reforms with a
view to bringing native sentiment more
in harmony with British rule As one
of the greatest of the imperialists, his