The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1930-06-13

soldiers for the army, and get certain compensa-
tons in return. =,
Regiments are also recruited from the warrior
caste among the Hindus, and from among Liz, ;ne
Mohammedans The caste system is kept allVe
NV snecial consideration from the government %
the bgher castles which applies even to the treat
ment of prisoners on trial for insurrectlon.
Imperial Economy
The British form of exploitation has run the
whole course of capitalist colonial policy In tne
beginning it saw India as great commercial 1lelo'
and chance for outright loot. Now certain ma
tive manufacturers are encouraged, as place 10
invest British capital, as market for British ma
chinery factories and to exploit the low prlceG III.
dian labor power. Inevitably some competitlon
with British industry begins to develop (texules)
but the policy of the empire is to build native
bourgeois class that only feeds British profits and
fights the native proletariat.
Conditions of the pYoletariat are horrible. The
barracks system which prevails in Calcutta, and
other cities. with standard of living not always
above starvation. Nevertheless terrific taxation,
mortgages at high interest, wrecking of the an
cent native irrigation systems in some parts, and
tax farming continually drives the peasantry out
of the country frying pan into the factory fire.
Henchmen of Empire.
On the side of Britain then are the large native
landowners, the "zemindar" class (tax farmers and
usurers), the upper caste of Hindus, the parasitic
Mohammedan religious leaders, the christian
group, the bourgeoisie Though it has some quar-
res of its own and part of it will make gesture
against British rule) and of course the whole ma
chinery of the British administration, including
most of the student and professional class with
section of these following the native bourgeois in
harmless gesture against the empire).
Gandhi, in this situation, plays somewhat the
role of Music in the American labor movement
His function is to make the harmless gestures that
will satisfy the bourgeois and students, and to
draw into this channel, like lightning rod, real
revolutionary forces that arise among the brutaly
exploited peasantry and proletariat
oIyc fho o1,,fs0p
have short circuted and left Ghandi at least tenn
porarily to side. In the mass resistance to
police attack and in the offensive, even, in Bombay
few days ago, the proletariat fought pitched
battles with the police. The nationalist movement
is getting all tangled up with the strikes of both
Mohammedan and Hindu workers for immediate
economic gains. The Indian labor unions have
their takers, but the left wing recently got control
of this All-India Trade Union Congress and the
takers are trying to form dual organization.
Masses Uniting
Whereas it is the policy of both British govern
ment officials and native bourgeois without regard
to the religion of the owner to use Mohammedans
as scabs on Hindus, and vice versa, Tuesday in
Bombay, in utter defiance of their religious lead
ers, the united in an attack on the British
barracks. Recently armed bands, showing know.
ledge of real military strategy, have raided Brit
lsh arsenals and seized weapons. Recently, too
Indian police in Bombay have refused to move
against salt raiders, and in Peshawar, native
troops refused to fire on the crowd. The Sikhs
have become very unreliable 10 the British
Need Leadership.
The basis of British rule is seriously weakened
whether the British "Iahnrn PARTY can carrxy ont
its boast that order will be kept" T. e. TnSr liz
movement will be washed out in blood, or not
In the heat of a real struggle, much illusion re
igious, Gandhist, bourgeois nationalist, is burned
away. The Indian events of 1880 may very likel,
turn into India's 1905, it is not impossible tina
they will become India's 1917. The masses suffe
most of all from lack of Communist leadership
but even this is being remedied Communist influ
ence is SO strong in certain portion that the ola
bor Party ministry is solemnly warned of it +
parliamentary discussion in London, and there i
Worker" UA