The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-07
BY CHARLES AsHLEIGH
Especial to The Daily Worker)

at the opening Of the Indian legis-
lature.
With regard to the question Of trade
unions, Lord Reading remarked; 81
believe the opinion has been expressed
in some quarters that we are moving
too fast along the lines Of labor
legislation" Lord Reading carefully
refrained from stating what quarters
these were. He did not mention the
fact that the quarters" which had
expressed these opinions into the ever
ready ear of the viceroy, were repre-
senting about one-millionth Of the pop
ulation Of India. He did not mention
the fact that hundreds of thousands
Of the Indian workers think that the
projected trade union legislation is
mockery, and that only by the COM
plete legitimisation of trade unions,
and all forms of their activities, can
they be satisfied Moving too fast!"
That is callously cynical comment on
the slow starvation Of the Indian
masses.
CTILL on the subject of trade I'M
- ions, the Viceroy proceeded: "The
future of trade unions in India will,
l believe, largely depend, not on en-
actments, but on the spirit shown by
employers and workers and in the at
titude of the public" So far, the spirit
shown by the Indian employers has
been a particularly martial one. Their
spirit has expressed itself in the sum-
moning of troops, in order to protect
their profits by cold steel and by the
bullet, whenever the workers, goaded
into protest, have struck a blow in
their own defense. The spirit shown
by the workers, Of course, must be of
the correctly servile kind, in order to
secure the benevolent patronage OF
the Viceroy for trade union legisla-
ton"
In Support Of the Terror
HEALING with the subject Of the
~ Bengal situation, the viceroy
stated: at may also become neces-
sary for my government to introduce
to the legislature measure TO de-
fine the powers Of the high court in |
relation to the tribunals, and pro- |
ceedings held under the special Ben
gal criminal legislation. You are
aware the governor of Bengal has ex-
ercised the powers conferred upon
him under the government of India |
act, and has certified and signed the
bill. take this opportunity Of stating |
that His Excellency's action In this re-
spect has my full approval and shall |
support both him and his government
to the extent of my powers in meeting
what regard as a serious emergency"
THE above refers to the legislation
which was introduced in order
to legalise the arrests made under
the special ordinance in Bengal. This,
1t will be remembered, was voted |
down by the nationalist majority in i
the Bengal council. Then, under
special powers, the governor Of Ben
gal certified and signed the bill, de-
spite the contrary vote. Lord Read
ing here declares his approval of this
fiouting of the minute parliamentary
democracy which the Indians are per-
mitted to enjoy. So now, the i'm
prisoned Bengalee Swarajists may
have the comfort of knowing that
they are lying in gaol, not under an
ordinance, but in accord
ance with real act of parliament
even tho this act was disapproved by
a majority Of legislators. We do not
believe, however, that the imprisoned
viii much relish this very
shadowy mitigation of their lot. A
gaol's a gaol, for a. that.
MT is now admitted on all Sides"
! continued Lord Reading, "even by
the most convinced opponents of spe-
cial legislation. that terrorist move
ment exists in Bengal and that wide
spread conspiracies for violent crimes
have been established" We In BRIT. |