The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-01

courage popular education; it taxes
the Indian people heavily. India had
more public schools before the Eng
fish conquered the country than it has
today. After $50 years of British
rule, we find that 900 of the males
and $500 Of the females are unable to
read and write.
The taxes imposed by the British
imperialists are unbearable, being
500 of the produce. From 80 to 40
million of the population Of India are
Systematically undernourished SO that
England's annual revenue may not be
diminished by dollar. India is
forced to pay for it's own food, as
well as the salaries of the English
rulers. It is forced to support the
British army as well as all the mill
tary campaigns Conducted in the in
terests of India; it is forced to pay
the pensions of the many officials and
officers, military and civilian, who
have been employed in India.
England deliberately discouraged
manufacturing in India. Her dis
eliminating duties have ruined every
branch of native manufacturing and
as a result 5000 of the whole popula-
ton has been thrown back upon the
soil; but even here the taxation con-
sumes 500 of the product of the
cultivators. The "tillers of the soil,
when they have sold themselves for
the last time to the money lender,
when they have over and over again
mortgaged their crops and their bit
of land, are sold by the tax-collector
until they drop of starvation.
Universal Discomfort
Such are some of the unfortunate
results of the policy of England,
which has produced a strong revolu-
tionary movement in India.
The discomfort in India is universal;
it spreads over all provinces and in
cludes all classes: it is directed not
against any particular act of Eng
land, but against the government as
a whole.
The "Non-Cooperative" movement
is only one of the many movements
now operating in India. Gandhi, the
leader of this movement, is the typ
ical product of India-the land of
mysticism and spirituality. In him
are gathered all those traits that
Hindus adore. He is an aseetic, inn
bued with the ideas and teachings of
Tolstoy. He combines in himself a
messianic personality with the power
of eloquent oratory. Besides duty,
nothing else is important to him; his
incorporating adherence to what he
believes his duty and the purity of
his daily life exalted him almost to
divinity IN the minds of his followers.
The Gandhi Gospel.
His gospel is that of renewed
self-respect and regenerated man.
hood" Real freedom, according to
him, can be only won thru moral
regeneration and not by warfare.
All forms of hate must be replaced
by love. His people must put away
all weakness, timid servility, de-
ceitfulness, sloth, every form OF
moral impurity, and put on courage,
honor, self-respect, industry" SO
equipped they could assert them
selves and their mere assertion would
be irresistible. They had only to
refuse to cooperate with a govern
ment that would not meet their de-
sires, and that government would find
itself powerless.
At the meeting of the India Ma
tional Congress, in December, 1920,
Gandhi succeeded in changing the
constitution Of the congress, and in
making it adopt his "non-co-opcra-
tive" schemes. These include three
things: The driving of the British
from India by passive resistance, the
complete independence of India, and
reversion to her ancient ways.
To accomplish this the people of
India must gradually withdraw from
all cooperation with their European
masters, says Gandhi. Government
servants must resign their posts.
lawyers their practices, students
must leave the schools, and notable
individuals must give up their titles
and honors. laborers must refuse to
xu0r-k for foraiOu era lovorc fnrosoe,,