The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-07-01

mainly from the census report of 1921, are
deliberately used for misleading the Ignorant.
This is the statistical picture of India, as pre-
sented by Imperialism:
A False Picture.
Population, 320000,000 divided into numer-
Gus races and religious communities always at
war, viz, 220,000,000 Hindus, 100000 Mo-
hammedans, 100000 Sikhs, 100000 chris
tians, ETC., of the Hindus 50y000000 pariahs
suffer from the social tyranny of the remain
der under the domination of 14,000000 Brah-
mans; there are $50 princes; there are 222
languages; 1890 different castles; only 14.4
per cent of men and two per cent OF women
are literate; etc. etc. Conclusion it is crime
to withdraw the British army and let the poor
people tear each other to pieces, for the Pam
iabis who supply 81 per cent of the imperial
ist army would destroy the peaceful unity
of self-governing India" by attacking the
"non-martial" races.
Now it can easily be shown that the census
statistics are wrong and the method of pre-
senting them deliberately misleading. For
instance, the census states that there are 222
languages and this figure is repeated by most
people without studying the census report. AS
a mater of fact there no more than Is
languages in India, if the subject is to be
politically considered, and it is just imperial
list trickery to enhance the impression of diver
possible in India-except united slavery to
British rule. We quote this example of Ian
guages as a typical instance of the use of
statistics by imperialism to justify its exist
ence. But the Indian masses are learning how
such problems as languages and national min
critics have been solved by the proletarian
dictatorship.
The main arguments" presented by the
Simon report are: Hindu oslem religious
riots; rigid caste system; the "untouchables;"
the religious minorities; general illiteracy;
princes; external enemies; internal disorder;
terrible condition of women, etc.
We cannot go into these questions here. But
a few quotations may prove interesting. With
regard to the Hindu Mosem riots, the report
confesses that things have become worse since
the system of separate celebrates for the two
religious communities was introduced for the
municipal, provincial and central legislatures
by the reforms" of 1919. "The true cause"
says the report "is the struggle for political
power and for the opportunities which political
power confers." When it is remembered that
only 22 per cent of the population, represent
ing only the propertied class, have a vote, it
is obvious that imperaist policy has deliber-
ately created this system to encourage strife,
aided by the Vaccinations of the police. But
in unguarded moments the report tells the
truth 1t shows that the Operations of large
scale industry" bring together men of different
castles and religions sin the mills and the
Mines" where these differences do not exist.
Similarly, regarding the 260 great landowners
of Oudh who belong to both communities,
the report admits that their common interests
cut across the communal divisions" In other
words, in spite of imperialist intrigue, the
horizon class line is cutting across the vertical
caste and religious lines, as has been amply
CHI dIIrino the nrpSent revolt
The report deals with illiteracy and refers
to urban and rural conditions, to the terrible
housing conditions of the workers in Bombay
and other cities, to the Indebtedness of the
peasant, etc, etc. But not even the Labor"
members of the commission mention single
word to show the connection between these
facts and imperialism. When they state that
"any quckening of general political judgement
-. of the average Indian villager is bound
to come very slowly indeed" they seem never
to have heard of the October Revolution.
The most unblushing part of the report deals
with the army in India. In speaking of the
defense and security of India, the authors
say:
India has to carry a constant burden of
anxiety and provide against actual danger
! on her northwest frontier which are wholly
without parallel in the case of the self gov
| erning dominions India throughout history
| has had to endure a series of incursions by
| foreign invaders, who have forced their way
| through the defiles in the northwest and at
| other points where gap was eound in the
| immense mountain barrier which cuts off
| India from the rest of Asia"
So the imperialist bandits that came by sea
are now remaining there to protect" India
| against 'foreign invaders" Incidentally, of
| course those gaps and defiles in the noun
| tains of the northwest useful to these
| bandits for the reverse process of making in
cursions into Afghanstan and the Soviet
! Union.
| AS far as the reception of the report IN
| India is concerned it is described by the ma
| tionalist press as an insult and it may be taken
| for granted that it will be rejected by the
| nationalist leaders as a basis of negotiations
| with the government. Not only the National
| Congress but number of moderate leaders
| not belonging to the congress had boycotted
| the Simo~ Commission when it was collecting
! "evidence" in India, and it is not likely that
| they will today openly accept the Simon re-
| port. They will demand that the round table
| conference be called without reference to the
| report. The main proposals contained in
| Volume III are likely to be: abolition of dyarchy
| in it's present form; provincial autonomy for
| most Provinces; administrative separation of
| Burma from India; placing of the princes d.
! rectly under the crown; retention of finance,
| army, police, foreign affairs, and the north
west frontier province in the hands Of the
] central government; some form of separate
celebrates for the different religious commu-
= nities slight enlargement of the franchise