Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-31
BY VISHNU r. KARANDIKER,
Editor, Indian

A STRONG federated union of
~ 320,000,000 people, composed of
"A various states or groups of states
4 "A small and large, with different
constitutions for each state, will
soon be formed and become q vital link
Of the British Empire, If efforts toward
this end continue as smoothly Is they
have been during the last few weeks.
It will be the strongest federation in
the world. With its vast resources,
90 per cent Of which are as yet I'M
tapped, India will then be able to WELD
powerful influence in the world, both
political and economic.
It Is significant how the tradition of
the United States has influenced Ma
tionalist India. Even in the early days
of the Indian Nationalist movement
the main political organization was
called the congress, and the founders
like the Congress Of the United States.
The Indian National Congress now is
q recognized body whose opinion Is be-
ing invited to the solution of the con.
stitutional problem of India. When,
later on, the political struggle became
keener and something more than mere
resolutions was in demand, the boy
colt of British goods by American col
onists was the method that appealed
to the masses. It became a national
weapon after the ill-fated partition of
Bengal Of 1906. when Lord Curzon,
then viceroy, tried to put down the
dominating influence Of Bengal by d.
viding 1t into two minor provinces.
Boycott of British goods has become
the most promising weapon in the ma
tionalist armory, second only to its
more extreme counterpart, based on
spiritual force, the non-co-operation
movement, started by Mahatma Gandhi.
In essence 1t Is more negative and pas
tive and active.
Based on ones faith In ones own
case, in the Justice Of the claim Of ones
national aspirations, 1t Is strong enough
to Withstand failure.
About 100000 900 people are directly
under British rule in India, divided
into number Of provinces. The rest,
consisting of about 70,000,00 people,
are ruled by Indian princes, maha-
rajahS. nawabs and khans, both Hindu
and Mahometan. British Indian prov
inces are more or less divided in a hap
hazard manner, ever since the time of
the East Indian Co. There Is q strong
movement on foot to divide the country
more or less on o linguistic basis,
grouping together people who speak
the same Vernacular.
1898
The idea is to have complete autono-
nous provinces, linked together in an
All-Indian Federation, with defense,
communications and finances as COM
mon interests. Even now the central
legislature is bicameral one, like that
of the Congress, with its Senate and
the House Of Representatives. There
is the Council of State and the Legis-
lativc Assembly. The original demo-
cratic constitution for the villages,
known as the village Panchayats, a
council elected by the people of the vii
lage and responsible for its government
removing, it Is hoped, much administra-
tive work falling on the district officers.
The most important problem is that
of the Indian princes II the whole Of
India is to be brought under a single
constitution, the question remains, how
are the princes going to come in? The
problem is made still more difficult by
the fact that all Indian states are not
considered to be on the same level.
There are some with whom treaties Of
equality have been concluded, their
sovereign power being limited only in
the sphere Of foreign relations.
Roughly. the states can be divided
into two parts, one whose rulers possess
only certain percentage Of a salute of
guns, and those whose rulers possess
only certain percentage of sovereign
rights. There are 100 in the first class
and 442 In the other. There are some
states as large IS Italy, while there are