The Washington times., 1922-01-15
s VISIT
MOVE To UNITE
INDIAN RULERS
viceroy's Appeal to Native
Potentates Reveals UnderIy-
ing Reasons for Tour.
BY sAILENDRA N. CHOSE.

e. VIZ NSooouS toS tSU'
BY sAILENDRA N. CHOSE.
Director American Commission to Pro-
mote seif-overnment In India.
Now that the Prince Of Wales
has toured more than half Of India,
it seems pertinent to a clear un-t
derstanding of the Indian situa-
ton to point out the underlying
reasons for that journey.
Appeal to Native Princes.
Just few days before the prince
sailed. Lord Curzon said the situation
In India was SO serious that II would
be impolitic to discuss the visit at
that time. Earl Reading. viceroy OF
India, was not so secretive. In an
address ten days before the prince
arrived In Bombay. he revealed the
object Of the princes coming. In an
appeal to the native princes to sup
port British rule. the viceroy said:
I'VE are meeting In the knowledge
that the princes visit to India is to
be fulfilled and that he will set foot
on Indian soil for the first time less
than a fortnight hence. will mere
ly say that I am convinced that the
effect of his visit to India will be
to bind the princes Of India more
closely to the throne. A large por-
ton Of his royal highness' time viii
be spent on visits to some Of the.
principal states. and a. he moves
about the country other princes and
chiefs whose states II has not been
found possible to include in the tour
will have an opportunity Of making
acquaintance with their future ruler"
OF Interest to America.
Ordinarily, the visit Of the prince
to India would be Of little interest to
the people of the United States. When.
however. this country IL asked to un-
derwrite, through the four.powsr
treaty, an imperialistic system that
holds In subtugation more than one
third Of the human race, then every
move on the checker-board of inter.
national politics becomes Of moment.
Here on the one hand We have the
British appointed viceroy appealing to
the native princes OF India to well
come their future ruler for the pres
ervation Of Imperialism in that vast
| country, and. on the other hand, the
most skillful diplomatic representa-
tives Of Britain gathered in Washing
II
ernment-a republic that found Brit.
ish rule so rotten that II broke away
in the most memorable fight for lib
| erty the world had ever known-into
an agreement to preserve British I'M
perialism throughout the Orient, and
30 throughout the world. ys..-.. =
When he made that appeal to the
princes, Earl Reading. although not
long in India. realized the precarious
position Of Britain in that vast coun-
try. For months he had seen the non.
cooperation movement headed by
Mohandas X. Gandhi gaining force in
British India. Because of the restric.
tive British laws. that movement had
&c far been kept out Of the native
states. The rulers Of those states have
absolute local power (under the guild
ance Of the British agents or resi-
dcnts). They rule over approximately
100000 of the $40, 900 900 inhabi-
tants Of India. and Readings appeal
was designed to unite that mass
against the revolutionaries of British
rule.
Plan Declared Q Failure.
That his plan has been . failure 10
evidenced by the press reports or the
unanimity with which the people of
India have boycotted the receptions
given in honor Of the Prince OF
Wales. Vast sums Of money-all Of
which Is taxed against the people
have been spent on receptions. dur
bars, tiger hunts, balls and racing,
but in every city the princes only
welcome has been from the Euro
pean residents and such Indians as
were in government employ.
| Equally futile has been the vfco-
roy's appeal to the merchants TO
support British rule for their own
interests. In a letter addressed to
the PunJab chamber of commerce.
he said you are well aware that
your interests. both patriotic and in
dividual, lie in the direction of &C.
curing greater Happiness and pros
perity among the people" and then
appealed for support against the non.
cooperation movement and the boy
colt Of British goods.
Did he succeed? No more than he
has with the native princes. Two
days after that appeal, the foreign
cloth markets in Amritsar and Delhi
were closed. and since then the mer-
chants. with comparatively few ex-
ceptions, have wholeheartedly Joined
| in the boycott Of Rritiah eoods