The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-08
ANARCHISTS OF INDIA HONOR MEMORY
 OF ASSASSIN ALI

One of the most surprising of the many unexpected developments Of this war has been the remarkable 1oy- aIty of India to the British Grown The native troops of England's vast and populous4 Asiatfc empire have been among thS bravest of the brave, and the native princes have contribu- ted vast sums to the London war chest and many of them have offered to raise armies at their own expense and lead them to battle. Before the war Germany conhdentIy expected, and England feared, that a conflict in which the latter country was engaged would beat1le signal for ia general fup rising in India,
 For many years tho doctrines of anarchisrn have been spread broad cast in India and this has, been 8 source Of grave anxiety to the gov 4ne1ltg ss For forty years the militant adherents of aparch hisIp have elcelebrat- ed each eighth of February the anni1 yersaey of the assassinaIon of the sixth EaF1 ssof Mayo, Wiceroy Of Ih7 dia, on Feb. 8, 1872- The Viceroy paid s V1Hitt z5ez the penal settlement in theseAndanan islands, and while about to embark on 8 ship at Port Blair he was killed by a native con yicts Shere Ali. who had been convict ed of connplicity in previous anar- chistIc plots. The assassin used a knife to alay Che sVfceroys His pos session off tho weapon indicated that he. had associates in the: crime, but all effoEts to- force him ito divuIge their names were futile. shere Ali crime, and went to the gallows with his lips sealed Ever since he has been honofed as s'nartyr''Ha by the an- archists Of India.
 Since then the anarchists have com rnitted many other deeds of violence .ers,- 4 "A rJr-. the yleeroy, was " rounded by@a bomb thrown by an anarchist as he was making his state entrance into Delhi. Numerous as they are, however, the anarchfsts are but a small portion Of India teerniIg popuIaHoR but it was feared that their influence would be- come powerful in the event of Great Britains engaging in "a. great war, and that the sterribIe scenes ofe the mutiny of f1ae s5e's might be reen- acted. Such fears have apparently been ground d1ess and, according to unpre e5udaced reports from India, the war fa likely to have the effect of ce- nnenting the bonds between the great empire and the little island kingdom which has under taken the task of directing It's destines. F
 strangely enough. even the ma1con- tents ana the native sgftators have voluntarily subsided into silence since the outbreak of the war. and some of them have even publicly advocated loyalty to Great Britain. It is not because they love England more, but beeause they fear that their lot would Be worse if the Germans or the Rus sfans assumed the government of the empire.
 As a part of t5aes British empire In oiatss praetfcaTI Iy self-gove and thespeopie are almost assfree as those of Canada. and Australia. Most Of all the natives appreciate the fact that England has not sought to- suppress their ancient religions, and force them to the acceptance of a creed alien to their natures.
 The loyalty Of the native rulers and the great masses of the people of In dia fosthee British cEown in the great est crisis in the history is one of the most imp ortant facts of the war perhaps the most sappointing fact, from the German viewpoint. The revolt Of India wou1dS have been a terrible blow to the cause of the al lies. for it could have been suppressed If at all, only at a trem mendous cost In blood and treasure.