South Bend news-times., 1915-02-28
HINDU PROBLEM
FORCED ON j. 5. BY
BRITISH M|SRULE
Indian Nationalist Comes to
Arouse Interest For Inde-
penGenCe of His Nation =
Says Poverty is Basis.
by Sidney Espey.

by Sidney Espey.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.-Seekins
TO arouse interest in the cause of
self government for India among
public men in the United States. Dr.
Lajpat Raj. one of the foremost lead
ers of the Indian nationalist move
ment, is in washington. He comes
with assurances that India will not
seek to send immigrants to the Unit
ed States when she wins independ-
ence or autonomy He says that
British misrule is at the basis of pow
erty among his people, and that il is
the pressure of this misrule that has
forced the Hindu problem" upon our
far western states.
Il am not here TO stir up feeling
against Great Britain nor to encOur-
age the Germans said DR.. Raj TO
group of congressman the other day.
I'VE know that German colonial gov
ernment would be quite as autocratic
and destructive TO the spirit of our
people as has been British rule.
have come to the United states. on
my way around the world. 10 study
your government and to tell the story
OF the aspirations of 10000, 600 peO-
pie in India for government of their
own.
Parties Are Divided.
"One of our nationalist parties is
willing to accept autonomy on the
plan OF the Canadian and the Au-
stralian governments, while the 9TH
er nationalist party holds that we
need complete independence in order
that full Self-expressiOn of our ma
ton shall be secured. There is a
close sympathy, in race and senti-
ment, between Canada or Australia
and England. This is far from being
our case. India is one nation, but ii
is Indian, not British.
THE blight of a century and a half
or British rule IS seen in the fact that
not more than One-seVenth of our
boys of school age are in school. while
not one girl in a thousand is literate
High school and college education is
the privilege only of the rich.
THE inability of the average FAM
lily to educate its children is shown
by the fact that the average daily
wage is from 5 to Is cents Famines
are becoming more frequent al
though there has never been a time
that India has not produced an abun-
dance of food for her total pOpula-
ton. But the people in a famine dis
trict have no reserve fund with which
TO buy grain produced in a nearby
district where crops are good In
the past , . years, it is estimated, the
deaths in India from these famineS
have tOtalled 25,O00,000 men, women
and children.
Would Mean Development
IF native rule should supplant
British rule we should at once begin
the development of vast tracts OF
land now held out of use. We should
lay a tariff which would enable US 10
build up manufacturing industries
which England now refuses to allow
to grow. we should build canals ano
reservoirs which would protect us
against crop failures. and we should
map out a land policy which would
break up the great estates. and put
the actual cultivator in permanent
own ership of the land he works. We
should have so much more of Op-
portunity for our own people, within
very few years, that the immigra-
ton movement would cease. Our peO-
pie would be satisfied to stay at
home. provided only the present in
tOlerable obstacles to a fair chance
to live were removed"
DepOrted from India
DR.. Raj was depOrted from India
TO Burma in 1907, but so great an
outcry was raised by the native press
that he was presently released. He
is q lawyer author and for many
years has been a principal admins
traitor Of the University college at
Lahore He predicts that his people.
deprived of the right to possess arms
or to become officers in the army
and without a voice in their own gov
ernment at any point, will Yet find
some means of shaking off British
rule. He stated, incidentally. as an
instance of British profit from its
western empire, that S60,000.000
year is paid by India TO retired OFF,
cials living in England. DR.. Raj in
sists that the humiliation of being
ruled despotically by Englishmen
chosen in England for the India
civil service" is even greater than
the payment OF a pension tribute to
these men after they have retired to
their own country to spend their leis-
ure years.
The Indian troops sent to Europe
and TO Egypt 10 aid in the present
war, according 10 the famous agita-
tor are all hired soldiers since no
Indian is permitted 10 volunteer for
the army. He hopes, however, that
despite the fact that they are sol
diers for pay. they Will learn some
thing of western life during this war
that will help 10 free their own ma
tion later on.