The Washington herald., 1921-10-13
SAYSINDIADEFIES
BRITAIN And CUTS
TRADE BY BOYCOTT
Sailandra N. Chose Tells
City Club of Fight
For Freedom.


fled British authority for eight
weeks and cut down British trade
S1.5oo,0OO.OoO in one year. was told to
the City Clubs third iuncheon
forum e. yesterday by sailandra n.
Chose. of the American Association
for Self-Government In India
Although called at the last hour
to take the place of w. Burns
chief of the Bureau of Investigation
of the Department of Justice, VINO
was detained by the Ku Klux Khan,
hearing, Mr.. Chose, little more than
youth, held the closest attention
Of a capacity audience for ,half an
hour.
Outlines History of Hindus.
"I represent 3I5.000.oo0 people Of
the white race" he said, mot only OF
your race and mine, but also of the par
ticular section of II to which we
belong-the Aryan. Four thousand
years, before the birth Of Christ my
forbears came from the west and
settled in India, until today, In a
land two-thirds as large as the
United States, there are three times
as many people"
Continuing. the speaker sketched
the development of an Indian cut
ture. philosophy and religion until
| in the seventh century A. d. the
Mohammedaps, attracted by the
wealth Of the land. invaded 1t and
later merged with their predeces-
sors after a long series of bitter
wars.
TT was these wars" the speaker
said. which led to wave of
pacifism and 1t was this pacifism
which enabled the British to seize
India in 1857
| Destroyed Native Industry.
You have been told that British
rule is bringing education to india.
but when the British seized India
GO per cent of the people could read
and write their native languages.
one educational Institution alone
had an attendance of $4,000 pupils,
and industry was highly organized
through the village community
system. The British destroyed all
that. with the result that the per-
centage Of literacy has dropped
from so per cent in 1850 to per
cent in 1921 and the land has been
rent by recurrent famines and re-
volts. That is one Of the blessings
which British rule has brought
india has had five major revolt.
in the. last fiftv wears. the present one
beginning In 1905 when not more than
fourteen or fifteen young men decided
the time had come for change. Their
movement grew until 1914. Then Eng.
land promised. in en- open proclama-
ton by Lloyd George. that If you will
give us men to help save civilization
and the empire. We will give you self
! government after the war;
sent 100000 TO War.
india responded: sent 1900, 900 OF
her men 10 the war When they came
back and reminded England of her
promise. instead OF. self-governmeni
they got the Rowlatt act--the British
India peace-time sedition act. under
which an Indian is subject to arrest
at any time without warrant or cause
Is kept incommunicado, tried without
counsel before a board OF three judges
sitting anywhere and any time they
choose. and with an added provision
that anyone voluntarily associatint
with the prisoner is also to be i'm
prisoned.
"India's resentment blazed in meet
ings of passive protest. and then cam'
the Amritsar massacre. Gen. Dyer
who admitted the facts sf the mas
sacre, was recalled and ow receive
Il pension of $4,000 u ye&.
Starts Freedom Movement.
This made India lose all confidenc
in British promises and in August
1920. Mahatma 0handi started hi
non corporation movement. in the hop
Of obtaining freedom without blood
e shed by urging the people TO quit tn
: British governments civil service. II
schools, its police. its army: to kee
out of the British courts. to refus
l to buy British goods and to refuse I
I lay taxes.
when Ghandi's program was pu
before a congress of 10000 delegate
, of Indian bodies year ago. 1t wa
adopted, to be carried on until al
solute independence is achieved wit
|; only two dissenting votes. The cor
gress also sent out call for a voluT
teer army and up to last June owe
.. II. 900. 900 had answered that call.
Last Saturday, forty-eight leader!
a ihcluding an American. gave out
manifesto that 1t is national di!
honor to serve the British in an
n way. The day before yesterday, tn
t Indian congress gave out a proclaim;
, ton that Britain had no right to Ell
ter any International agreements whic
$ commit India and that II she doe
Z India must repudiate those treaties.
Revolt In Niigri Hills.
Last August some of the India
reyolutionists got arms; the Britis
b. went to seize them and revolt starte
I which is still going ons in the Mig
= Hills, until today over 100000 squar
( miles Of territory are in Indian hand
This is the situation in India t
I day. We don't know what the resu
d will be, but we do know that the Brit
: ish crushed the 1916 Irish revolt
4 one week and haven't crushed this or
e in eight weeks and that British trad
@ with India dropped off $1,500,O00 la
year because of the boycott and tht
this will be doubled this year.
You can draw your own concll
sions; but we have already draw
r ours My people are determined
have their birthright of freedom,
not by passive resistance, then by II
weapon that Washington knew how
use in similar circumstances"
John Walsh, chairman of the foru
Q comInittee presided at the meeting.