Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-27
British Parties United
On the Indian Question
BY A. G. GARDINER,
Enslands Greatest Liberal Editor.

LONDON, April 26-With the final
signature of the London naval treaty,
the state of affairs in India automati-
cally assumed first place in public at
tention over here.
It must be confessed that the news
this week has not been reassuring. Open
violations of the salt laws continue.
There has been serious raid by armed
men on the government armories at
Chittagong. And the latest news from
the northwest districts reports extensive
rioting at PeShaWar, attended by con-
siderable loss of life.
Nevertheless, there is no reason to
suppose that the situation Is out OF
hand Wherever rioting has occurred
it has been rapidly suppressed. The
violations of the salt laws are more
ernment's wise policy in not permitting
Mahatma Gandhi to succeed in making
a martyr of himself was successful. At
the same time, there is quiet determi-
nation in this country that, while the
progressive development of the Indian
institution is to continue, there must be
no capitulation to the forces of violence
and disorder.
There is no important difference of
opinion here between the leaders of
various parties.
1t is important that this unanimity
be realized not only in India, but
throughout the world. The government
in India has the support not only of
the Conservatives, but Of the present
Labor government and English lib
eralism generally. The reason should
be obvious.
AS a result of causes over which
neither this generation nor many gen.
erations before it had the slightest con-
troll, we are, in fact, responsible for
the government of India. And our
first duty is to see that law and order
are maintained. The main sufferers
from the disorders are not the British,
but the Indians. It is universally
acknowledged that attempted violence
against the British almost invariably de-
generates into intercommunal fighting
We should be neglecting the essen
tial functions of government if we did
not take all steps necessary to pre-
serve peace. 1t was reported from
PeShawar that at one stage in the dis
orders the rumor spread to the hills
that the British had evacuated the city.
At once the hill tribes set out to raid
and pillage, only to retire when the
rumor was discovered to be false. This
is symptomatic of the universal dis
order that would follow If the strength
of the government were seriously I'M
paired.
1t is important to realize, too, that
the present position in India is not at
all analogous to the case of Ireland or,
indeed, to any of the cases of insurgent
nationalism whose cause has been sup
ported by the English Liberals during
the past hundred years.
India Is NOT a nafiOn hIk q sinh
continent, composed of many different
races and nationalitieS, many of whom
are bitterly opposed to Gandhi and his
campaign, which they tend to regard as
an attempt on the part of the high
caste Hindus to obtain ascendency over
the whole of the country. Ghandi does
not pretend to have machinery at his
disposal capable of running the coun-
try if the British were to go. He adj
mitted last week that an Indian con-
gress government would have to dis
cover substitute for taxation, but
confessed that his plans on this subject
were not precise.
Nevertheless, in the last quarter CEN
fury there has been steady progress in
the evolution of the institutions of self
government. And at the present time
an important commission Of inquiry is
in progress trying to discover how these
institutions can be further developed.
The leaders of the various interests have
been invited to round table confer
ence to discuss the findings of the COM
Is it seriously to be expected that at
this stage the demands for the abolition
of taxation and for complete Self-gov-
eminent on the part of the representa-
tlves of If these many interests
should b eded the threat of dis
obedience do so would be to alb
dictate the .lctions of government in
favor, not of another government, but
Of complete chaos. a