Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-27
INDIANS DEMAND
DOMINION STATUS
Exact Plan Undecided, but
British Authority Lacks
Any Advocates.
BY CARROLL BINDER.

BY Radio to The Star.
LONDON, England. October 27.-Not
single prince, moselm, or other dele
gate from either the Indian States or
British India to the round table poK
exception to the demand for immediate
Dominion status during important dele
CATION meetings held over the week
end, this correspondent is informed.
Several influential delegates continue
to be hostile to the Nationalist demand
for strong central government, but
none has yet ventured to plead for O
continuance of the present full measure
Of British authority as an alternative
to the home rule demand Of the Mod
crates who are here to negotiate with
the British despite the congress boy
colt of the round table and all things
British.
The round table does not open until
November IL, but the delegates from
the states and from British India are
holding frequent meetings to iron out
the differences in their own ranks,
and over the week end was held the
first of what Is hoped will be q series
Of meetings between authorized spokes-
men for the states and for the British
Indian delegation.
$4,000, 600 Back Premiers.
The writer is informed that Sir Tel
Bahadur Sapru and M. r. Jayakar on
behalf OF British India and the Mysore
premier, Sir Mira ISmael, and Premier
Krishnamachariar of Baroda on behalf
Of the states at the meeting yesterday
agreed that Federal assembly should
be created with authority to legislate
and control both British India and the
states. The premiers expressed will
ingness to bow to the sovereignty Of
such an all-India parliament and
affirmed that at least five Indian states
with a population of 2,250,000 people
are prepared to introduce constitutional
reforms in their own states bringing
their legislation into harmony with that
enjoyed by the provinces Of British
India.
understand that the influential and
progressive Maharajah of Baroda Is ex-
erting his powers over his colleagues in
favor Of a strong federal government.
His ideas long have disturbed British
Indian officials of diehard mentality,
and way back in 1906 the Maharajah
Of Baroda paid state visit to the ma
tional congress which first enunciated
the home rule demand at a period when
to do so was illegal.
The Maharajah of Baroda, moreover,
Is endeavoring to smooth out the Diff
ferenceS between the Hindus, of whom
he is one Of the chiefs, and the Mos
lens. Already he has conferred with
Aga Khan, who Is known chiefly in the
West as the owner of winning race
horses and the husband of a pretty
French shopgirl, but who actually en-
joys great power as the head of an i'm
portant MoSlem sect with an enormous
following in India.
Moslems Aid Hindus.
The Hindus already have regained
the support of at least some Moslem
delegates whose alienation over the
scheme of provincial autonomy have
reported. A. K. Fazlul HaQ, leader Of
100000 Moslems in Bengal. in an
important statement to the writer ex-
pressed his hostility to the Indian bu-
reaucracy which numberless times have
made the Moslems their scapegoats and
sacrificed even their just claims to
further imperial interests.
Il am here neither to purchase toys
nor to barter away the liberty of my
countrymen, but to press for a just
appreciation of midas aspirations" he
said Indian Moslems are neither OPP
portunists nor drag on others. am
shall no longer daily with Moslem in
terests.
II also shall fight for proper recog-
milton of the claims Of the voiceless
peasantry"
From all this the Nationalist deduce
that the British administrators sugges-
ton for first disposing of the provincial
government differences, where the
Hindu and Moslem rivalries crop out
the clearest, has not succeeded in de-
flecting the Indians from their interest
H..
they can wrest from the British for
their coveted central government.
Prince Backs Britain.
The most powerful of all Indian
rulers, the Nizam of Hyderabad, re-
mains the greatest obstacle to the In
dian demand for strong federalism. He
Is reluctant to surrender the privileges
enjoyed as "a faithful ally" of the Brit
ish crown in what is tantamount to an
independent kingdom. but the leaders
still are hopeful Of compromise being
reached. The Maharajahs of Alwar,
Dholpur and Rewa also have indicated
their desire to maintain their individual
status as independent sovereigns under
future dominion government, and I
understand that Patiala takes similar
stand.
AS things stand. therefore, the idea
of strong federalism is supported by
Baroda, Mysore, Travancore. Cochin
and Pudukotta, who are believed to
be willing to join such a government
Immediately. Indore, Bhavanagar, the
800 small states generally designated
as Kathiawar and several of the Raja-
putana states are believed likely to
follow Baroda. That would leave some
of the powerful states outside, but even
without them the new Federal India
would be a powerful dominion.
While these negotiations proceed
here. the congress supporters continue
their activities in India. Yesterday they
raised the congress flag in Bombay de-
spite the police ban and Lathi charges
followed in which 900 persons were in
jured and "a arrested. The latest con-
gress president, Sen Gupta, was ar
rested and probably will receive year
in prison, which is now the customary
sentence for congress leaders.
(Copyright, 1930.)