Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-31
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

! Of Deputies that all Moslem is becom-
ing active in support of the native re
volt against France, and his statement
was confirmed by Premier BRAND
with the further intimation that th..
Moslem uprising is aimed not only at
France, but at Great Britain in her
trouble with the kurdS and possibly
the Indians
In India, the Moslems last week held
a mass conference presided over by
Gandhi, the native leader. at which
they pledged resistance against the
British IN case OF war with Turkey.
Gandh. yitation throughout India
which he has carried on for several
years, has failed in it's program of
passive resistance" but il has left
its seeds of discomfort and revolt
planted in fertile soil. Its failure wa
| demonstrated at the conference. for.
aIthough his efforts have been directed
| 10 revival or cottage weaving and boy
colt or English machine-made cloth.
none but the leaders appeared at tho
conference in homespun.
SuperSeding the passive resistance
OF Gandhi. there rises another marty
the SWaraJ. founded by the late c. r
DaS, whose resistance is more active
me SWaraj undertake to elect thar
representatives to all councils. for the
purpose or obStructing legislation and
exporting Indian grievances and in
CreaSlnS unrest. The activities of the
| SWaraJ make it possible for the British
10 continue the plan of government
oE the Dyarchy-a dual government
with one official native. All Rritisb
REFORMS are thus swept away and omen
| connect with the natives takes their
| place. This force increased repress,ve
measures with consequent increased
unrest and resistance.
\ x X
The World War is said TO have b.a
much to do with loss of British pres.
tlge in India. Thousands of Infi,s ~
soldiers participated in that war. and
there came In contact with the Occi.
ueItais. Ihey returned disillusioned
az 10 BRUSH Superman power
reform measures were granted to
lndla In 1919, with the promise Of self.
government in 1929, but the native
agltators now declare that thew will
not wait four years more-they de.
mana Ser-goVernment at once and
me Soviet propaganda encourages
| that demand.
I: < !; x
Poverty, ignorance and moral weak
| ness of the masses of India mako
them alone powerless in revolt. Thai
mas peeil amply demonstrated by the
century OF British rule. sustained bv
a mere handful OF soldiery. TO-DAY
Great Britain with $4,000 soldiers
| holds rule over 320,000,0OO natives
covering an area equal to all the
United States east Of the Rocky
Mountains. But the fact that "a nor
| cent or the natives are illiterate and
| easily misled by fanatical leaders. like
| the great" Gandhi, only adds to the
uncertainty and dangers of powerful
leadership, which might come from
bolshevlst Russians and willy Turks.
supported by religious fanaticism and
caste preJudices, with the cry of "the
| Orient and Orientals-'
A writer who has lived in India. OK.
presses one phase of the situation as
| follows:
| TRY to imagine this Republic (the
United States) ruling over 20 900 .0OO
Frenchmen in the North, 80 900 Don
| Spaniards in the East, 10000 600
Italians in the South and 10000, 600
Germans in the Middle States, 80 per
cent illiterate and speaking their own
language and no other, about 3 Der
cent Of the remainder speaking the
| language Of Congress- That illus
| trates polyglot India.
In addition to the babel of tongues
there are the antipathies Of religions
and of castes-200, O00,O Hindus
with their Unborn self-superiority over
all others, 100000 900 Moslems, tied by
| religious prejudices to outside Mo
hammedans, and 100000 "untouch.
ables,' and millions Of Buddhists.
Copyright. 1925 by Paul V. collins>