New Britain herald., 1930-07-05
POLITICS AND ECONOMICS
 IN INDIA

The peculiar campaign of passive resistance which Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated in India, supplemented by the boycott and so-called non resistance" is expected to increase as the rainy season subsidies But on the whole the movement for in dependence in India does not seem to be making marked progress. h. dia's internal weakness is lack Of unity, and there is little likelihood that the racial factions which thus lack cohesion will be able to agree upon any definite campaign 10 rid the land Of the dominance Of the British Lion.
 Although the recent Simon report recommendation fail to meet with the approval of extremists on either side, there is a growing belief that it Hill strengthen the hands of the moderates. who are vastly in the majority. The report suggests suf- ficient advance in the status Of h. dian government to make an im- pression upon the millions who arc not desirous of anarchy.
 If the millions Of India were united in throwing off the British yoke England could not govern India for day longer. Without the help Of the Indians the British could scarcely arrest. much less incarcer- ate, a single individual. The vari- ous governmental departments in India are manned by Indians; Eng fish brains are al the top. but the actual details Of government are carried out by native officials and native police. It is matter Of his toric record that all conspiracy cases in India have been unearthed by the natives of India.
 The office holding class in India 1. large, and it is composed almost exclusively Of natives. 1T the most intelligent Indians could find an- other means Of earning their live lihood than entering the en, >loy o' the British government proba bly, they would do so; but there are no native opportunities in trade and the professions equal to government employment. Gandhi has called up- on all Indian officials to resign their posts; but they haven't resigned. They are doing their duty in help ing to maintain the supremacy of the British government
 There is no denying, however, that the Gandhi movement offers d threat to the British; but threats have been survived before. The worst feature of the Gandhi move ment. from the British standpoint, probably is the emphasis placed upon race and religion. In India. unfortunately, the religious idea has become intertwined with politics, and though Hinduism does not preach hatred the mixture Of re- i ligion with politics, even when done a serious threat against the white man and his religion. If enough h. dians begin 10 think it IS a func- i ton Of their race and religion to foment riots and similar excesses the loyalty Of the Indian officials can and might be undermined, for 1 they are Of the same religion. Only recently the conduct Of several ! platoons Of native troops during a 1 disturbance vas Of such 8 nature as meriting official investigation. 1 Gandhi is said to be an influence in the lives Of one-third of the 380,- 100000 population of India. If true then the Nationalist movement can | be said to have acquired 4 tre- mendous momentum; yet two-thirds Of the population are not accounted for except as being not interested or siding with the British; and among the tHo-thirds are virtually all the Indian officials, the police and the troops.
 The threat Of the one-third may grow in seriousness, but there are indications that the modernists ulti- mately will prevail, and that an i'm proved status for India, certain to emerge from the difficulties, will bring about an era of law and or der. until some future Gandhi gets started.
 T0MMTNICA TEn