The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-23

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are not far from a league of Ea'
Russia into the league-he ws
That tangled note sounded a
warning of the fraying nerves
of the orient, exploited so long,
subjected to SO many indigni-
ties and rebuffs.
Key to East.
BY languages and links in the re-
mote past, as we'll as by blood, the In
dian people are for the most part a
section of the great Aryan race. Geo
graphically India is the key to the
east, a wedge between the far east
and the Asia nearer Europe. She alone
of the Asiatic countries has had gen.
erations of close contact with the
English-speaking people.
There is great gathering in Of
the workers of all lands. Common la,
Dor has made common cause. The
white mans burden is seen to be the
brown mans burden. The Indian ryot,
tilling his field, stirs the same earth
as the Egyptian fellaheen. The In.
dian weaver has common cause with
the Lancashire mule tender. The In
dian lascar shares the same dangers
as the British or Swedish or Amer
lean sailor.
Labor Party's Fair Words.
If, as is claimed, the work of the
British Labor party is to rebuild the
shattered world by rallying the en-.
lightened and brotherly feelings of
men, one of the main pill
lars in world thus rebuilt
will be free India. AS subject race
she will never stay within the COM
monwealth of British nations. Upon
that she is determined. Mere words,
fair promises and formulas that mean
nothing have no longer any use. Pro-
found distrust is the keynote of the
mind of Asia Just now, and India
shares it.
The test question for Indians today
is Kenya. Kenya was formerly called
British East Africa. Here the main
work of development was by Indians
who have always outnumbered the
Europeans. To 1851 whites there are
in Kenya itself 22,S22 Indians; the
Africans number $500, 900.
Make Demands.
Immediately after the world war
the restrictions multiplied and the In.
rdians began to organize to make their
grievances known. The answer Of the
white settlers was to threaten VIC.
lence. Early in 1928 the Kenya In.
dams sent party to London, the gov
eminent Of India another from India,
and the white settlers in Kenya a
third. Later the African chiefs them.
selves sent deputation to state their
case. The demands of the Indians
were ~ right to hold land in the
highlands, (2) abolition of segrega-
ton (but submitting to all proper SAM.
tation and other laws), ~ equal fran.
chise, (4) no restrictions on immigra.
ton.
The Europeans declined to discuss
these issues. They threatened revolt
If they were not sustained as absolute
masters of the country.
FIout Indians.
The Indians lost the first round in
their fight for rights in the African
colony. The British colonial Office,
then under Conservative control
turned them down hard, tho their
claims rested on documents from 1888
and other written evidence. The house
of commons voted 2O7 to 1856 against
the Indians.
The issue was whether India should
have justice from Britain; and in the
result she felt she was face to face
with ill-treatment for all her nation.
ais. Was the empire to be white? Was
India to be merely a market, not a
free dominion?
McDonaId's Promises.
The only light in the darkness was
the assurance of Ramsay Macdonald
on behalf of the Labor party that il
would right this wrong as soon as II
came to power.
The Indians ara waiting for the
redemption of the promise.