The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-01-13

the American press. The more i'm,
portant of these replies l have an.
swered. Now comes the new Viceroy,
Lord Chelmsford, with fresh declara-
lions which must not remain unan.
swered
In an interview with correspond
ent of the associated press, Lord
Chelmsford, the new Niceroy of In
dia, speaks of having read with sur
prise various articles in American
papers representing India as Labor
ing under an oppressive rule and
shaken by revolutionary and seditious
activities" These are of course the
articles which have been written by
me on behalf of the Hindustan Gadar
In reply to these "calumnies" Lord
Chelmsford says to the correspondent:
Go wherever you please through the
length and breath of India s. d: no
sentry will bar the way and no secret
agent will shadow you " IS we have
nothing to conceal
a statement like this is no more
than might be expected from the new
Viceroy. but the American people will
not be deceived. The newspaper cor
respondents will not be allowed to
write freely concerning conditions in
India. They are not permitted to do
SO in England itself, much less will
they be permitted in India. do not
know the facts as to newspaper cor
respondents in India except that moth.
ing leaves India unless approved by
the Censor. But first we ask why DR.,
Cook, the noted explorer, was not per.
mitted to travel freely in India, and
was twice arrested and kept in Jail
in Sinapore and Calcutta for several
weeks. and refused permission to as.
cend the IIimalayas and finally was
compelled to leave the country? Why
is it that more than two dozen Amer
leans fully equipped with passports
were interned at Calcutta and finally
refused admission to India? When we
know that the world famed Theoso
phist leader, Mrs. Anne Besant, has
been refused permission to go to Bonn
bay, and compelled to pay fine oil
10000 rupees to guarantee good be
havior for her two newspapers; and
when such a distinguished Hindu
scientist as DR.. J. G. Bose of Cal
cutta University is Swallowed by the
police even when lecturing under the
auspices Of the Viceroy, and hundreds
of others, editors, professors, lawyers
etc, have been interned and prevented
from writing and speaking and fin
ally that 400 newspapers have beer
suppressed and their property confis
cated-it is useless for the Viceroy tc
tell us that newspaper correspondents
will be free to write and publish what
ever they please, or that there is
nothing to conceal. We will be very
interested to see If the policy of the
new Viceroy will be different in this
respect from that of his predecessor
Up to this time even news that has
been permitted to be published in In
dia is often not allowed to pass out
of the country. The newspapers that
come from India to this country are
nearly all mutilated by the Censor
Considerable portions sometimes be
ing entirely cut out. When such an
important event as the uprising In
Oressa, as the result of which more
than two dozen Hindus were hanged
and the brother of the ruling prince
imprisoned for life, was not permit
ted to be published in India until five
months after the event. it is absurd
to say that nothing will be concealed
The new Viceroy says that the wal
has stirred Indian aspirations for
development, politically and economic
ally" and from this the correspondent
draws the conclusion that the war viii
aid the cause of Indian freedom. II
seems to be the business of each Vice
roy to speak flatteringly of India wher
he first assumes Office, because he
wishes TO be popular, but at the enc
he reveals the true state of the case
The preceding Viceroy. Lord Hardinge
on leaving India said that Home Rule
for India is not vet in sight. From
Lord Ripon to Lord Hardinge ever,
Viceroy says this; and Lord Morle,
former secretary Of state for India
said that the desire of the Hindus fol
Home Rule. was like that of a chile
reaching for the moon. If there /,
greater desire for political freedom
in India now than before the war, i
is not due to the war itself but to tn,
activities Of the revolutionary o.
Dadar Party. The war has been in
strumental as circumstantial cause
but the substantial cause is the desir,
for freedom inherent in the Indian PEG
pie. RAM CHANDRA,
Editor "Hindustan Gadar.
San Francisco. Cal.