The Washington herald., 1922-06-12
TROOPS ARRIVAL
and new RENT ACT
END INDIAN RISING
New Law Nips Periloul
Agrarian Movement
In the Oudh.l

LUCKNOW. June l1.-As quickly
as II 1ared up, the Aka, or ''call
of unity" has subsided in the Oudh.
The FIRST show OF force, coupled
with the new oudh rents act. nipped
a dangerous and growing move
ment in the bud.
Purely agrarian in it's inception.
the fruit OF years OF oppression.
concealed rents. forced labor and
the eviction of tenants by estate
owners and middlemAn 10 make
room for new cultivators who could
AFFORD to pay for the right Of lease,
it bore a great resemblance to the
agrarisn troubles on the large es-
tates Of Italy and Sicily in the fall
of 1890.
Leaders of the nonco-operation
movement. seeing in the troubled
Oudh a fertile field for their effort
launched an extensive campaign Of
written and spoken propaganda In
January. the first fruits Of which
were the Chaurf Chaura massscres
OF February 10. and the complexion
OF the movement rapidly changed
The congress representatives. prom
ised the peasants life tenancies to
their fields and a fixed rental. based
on an average years production, at
a much lower rate than those in
effect at present The propaganda
fell on receptive ears. and shortly
the entire movement was allied with
nonco-operation, but with nom
violence
Cavalry Appears on Scene.
The Oudh- rents act. just passed,
fixing cash rentals. doing away with
forced labor and secret rents, and
;nsuring the tenancy OF the fields dur
ing the lifetime OF the holder and to
his heirs for five years thereafter
already had removed the causes OF
complaint. and the government lost
no time in letting fits provisions be
known to the peasants. At the same
time two squadrons of cavalry were
marched through the Hardoi dist
trict north of Lucknow. where the
agitation was strongest and the
peasants found that the British raj.
far from being dead. as they had
been told. still possessed troops with
which TO rule the country.
The reaction was immediate. The
troops have practically completed
their march and soon will go through
two other districts. In the fortnight
they have spent in Hardoi not one
case OF violence has been registered.
Similar Demand In 1884.
The Aka movement is SAID to have
had its beginnings in the Kissan
Sabha movement Of year ago. which
produced agrarian riots in Raj Bareli.
south OF Lucknow. but its roots 60
far deeper. In 1854. when India was
still seething with unrest following
the n:u-iny. peasants OF the Oudh
demonstrated for better rentals and
the removal OF the same unfair
charges which they protested today.
A careful study was made OF the
situation at that time and a land act
similar 20 the one Just passed was
framed by the government
But the land owners who had done
much in quelling the mutiny. pro-
tested. and they enlisted large sup
port among British oficials. The bill
was quashed and the disturbance put
down. Since that time the peasants.
on several occasions, have asked for
revision OF the oudh land laws. but
It was not until this year that their
claims were met.
Peasants Carry Big Burden.
The successful outcome of their
protests. which had been decided be-
fore this years activities COM
menced, is a reflection Of the move
ment to better the condition Of the
peasantry throughout the world. In
most parts of India the problem does
not exist. for the land is cultivated
by small owners or by large estates
with coolie labor II is only in sec
tions like the Oudh where absentee
landlords lease land through mid
dlemen to small cultivators that re-
vision of the land acts 10 necessary.
The peasants OF the Oudh, until
this year, have been paying to these
middlemen a sum from 20 to 50 Der
cent in excess Of the recorded rental
Of the land. and in addition perform
ing labor on holdings which the mid
dlemsn reserv ID for himself and max
ing payments in kind. They were
given receipts only for the amount
which the Tiddleman turned over to
the owner.
The nonco-operation leaders, sce-
ing remarkable opportunity Of
furthering their movement, added a
clause In the pledge Of the Aka
compelling members TO refuse all
rents to owners and middlemen who
paid taxes to the government, but
this part Of the movement failed ut
terly.