The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-06-25
SELF RULE And
SELF DEFENSE
ONE and SAME
Sir Gupta, Head of India 8
New Defensive Forces e.
presses His Views

l SdS0Ilci, 1Huuc, June ZO.-SlE
Krishna Govinda Gupta is at present
on a visit up in the district of Dacca
at one time the capital of Bengal, and
was for nearly 35 years in the Indian
civil service, but he has made his
| home in England where he has been
settled for some years.
Sir Krishna has had an interesting
| and distinguished career. He was one
of the first Benga1is to join the In
dian civil service, into which he pass
ed by competitive examination in
1871. He worked his way up to the
top of the service and had, it is be-
lieved, narrow escape from acting as
Lieutenant Governor of his native
province. AS it was, he was the first
Indian to be nominated to the India
Council in London. This post he re-
signed quite recently, after holding it
for seven years, and now he is paying
a visit to his native country in strict
ly non-official capacity.
! In an interview, Sir Krishna ex-
pressed his strong approval of the In
dian defense force which has just
1 been inaugurated, and his confident
conviction that, so. far. as the Indian
recruits were concerned, it would be
well supported. AS will doubtless be
remembered, legislation has recently
been passed creating an Indian de-
Tense force, consisting partly of Eur
opeans, who will be compelled to
serve, and of Indians, who will be per-
mitted to volunteer.
In my view, said Sir Krishna, the
questioR of self-government and self
defense have always been bound up
together. I have often told my coun-
trymenl that whatever measure of
I self-government was conceded to
them would be sham and not real
ity SO long as it was not accompanied
| by the privilege of bearing arms in
their own defense. It is obvious that
a system under which India enjoyed
full selfgoverning powers while Eng
land stood sentry at the door could
not last. On the other hand, the adj
mission of Indians to the privilege of
/ enlisting for the defense of their
country is tacit aGmissrou OF their
/ right to govern themselves, subject
only to such conditions as may be
1 necessary to safeguard the British
connection.
1 am particularly pleased with the
announcement that Indian volunteers
Twill be admitted to the defense force,
| because the departure signifies the
laying aside of the old policy of dis
trust of the people. That policy may
/ have been justified after the mutiny,
Ibut it is clearly out of date today. In
dia has proved her loyalty in an I'M
mistakable manner. since the war
broke out. She has established her
i right to be trusted, and ehenceforward
she must be trusted altogether, or not
at all.
Do you think there will be a good
response from the Indian community
he was asked. ct am sure of it, re-
piled Sir Krishna. Its true that at
first, and perhaps for many years to
lcome the recruits may be confined to
! the educated class, at all events in
those provinces which have been
closed to recruiting for more than a
century, and in which the military
Esprit has largely died out. In Ben
4 gal, for example, it is highly improb-
i able that the cultivator classes will
volunteer, and this for a very simple
reason. They are earning far more
as cu1tivators than they could possibly
earn as soldiers. and if you appeal itc
! their patriotism or public spirit, we'll
they are not sufficiently enlightened
as yet to respond to such appeals. The
] educated classes of COURSE take long.
er views. They are fully awake to the
value of the concession which has
I been made, and are willing to serve
, for a pittance, in order that the ex
}, pertinent may succeed.
"a certain amount Of disappoint
ment has been created by the an
. lnouncement that commissions will
only be granted to Indians under tn.
Indian Army Act, i. e., subordinate
commissions, the highest of which ii
inferior to that held by the younges
second lieutenant in the British army
IT'LL
: lany case, the Indians are perfect.
prepared to trust to the fairness o
the British government to see to i
that ,as they show their fitness TO
commissioned rank, they will be pro
NOTED on the same terms as their Bri
fish comrades.
ST must confess he proceeded, &c
was myself startled to realize, as w,
must all of us have done at the out
break of the war, how comparativeI,
weak and defenseless India is. Eight.
or ninety thousand British troops
perhaps twice as many Indian troop
(the latter very largely composed O
foreign smercenaries recruited in AT.
ghanistan or the hills of Nepal). wha
could such an army have done If som,
great military or naval power ha,
been in a position to take advantag,
of Britain's present preoccupation ii
the. west? India might easily hav,
been overrun. This possibility mus
never fecur, and it is incumbent upol
BritOps and Indians to Tcooperat
whole-heartedly to prevent it's recur
renee.
mot merely will the general arm
ing of British India free both Englan,
and India from grave anxieties as t.
1.-THE fate of India in any future world
: crisis, it will add enormously to tn
, man-power of the Empire. Man-pow
er is coming more and more to be tn
crux of the present struggle. India j
! an inexha ustible reservoir of man
: power, and with this behind her Eng
! land can face any possible ,combina
: ton with equanimity.,'
/ Have you given any thought to tn
position of the European merchant i
< India fully armed and equipped fo
a defensive purposes, and enjoying com
> plete self-government? ST see no res
q son." replied Sir Krishna, why tn
3 position of the European merchant c
! tradesman should be in any way al
! fected. AS you know, the Indian ha
no prejudice against the European
, provided he receives ordinary IA
= treatment and consideration fro1
!. him. Ths-s is no reason therefore,
Iappfehend any kind of deal set agains
him in India. OF course, we in Ber
= CaI naturally hone to Obtain a large