Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-30
India Commissions Findings
Studied With Sympathy Here

The sincerity of the efforts to achieve
some form of unity in India is accepted
on this side of the Atlantic, as the re-
ports of the Simon Commission are
made public. The difficulties to be en-
countered in an attempt to establish
lf-government and some similarity to
the Philippine problem of the United
States are pointed out 1t is suggested
that it is doubtful if the present lead
ers of nationalism in India will find
satisfactory offers in the two sections
up Is progressive realization of respon-
stble government"
Difficulties in connection with the
Moslems are pointed out by the Erie
Dispatch Herald with the statement as
to present conditions: Vastly in the
minority in India, the Moslems still see
much to be gained by the present diff
culties. Given free hand, they prob
ably would soon gain dominance over
the lethargic HinduS. Thus India
stands on the verge of minor, perhaps
even major, crisis. The forces reused
by Gandhi's civil diSabedience campaign
have carried it far beyond the bounds
! he set. Passive resistance has become
active. The British have been COM
PEELED to call in additional forces to
curb them. The Moslems, ever willing
to fight, see in any real freedom for
India chance to rise and take control
by the sword"
Popular interest among the English
people is commended by the Milwaukee
Sentinel, which points out that 1.-The
first volume of the Simon Commission
report has become a best seller" as an
edition of 1900 copies printed by the
government sold out in three DAYS at
IS cents a copy" and the Sentinel
makes the comment: 1T must be said
for the English that, however they gov
ern India, they are interested in what
goes on in that troublesome limb of the
empire. Americans do not profit by a
comparison. Surprising the printery in
Washington had run off II 900 copies of
the WickerSham committees report.
Would 1900 Americans have been in
tereSted enough in that report to buy
them? The answer is no. And the
answer would be the same if an Ameri-
can commission were to make a study
of the Philippine situation and 1t were
to be printed for public consumption.
Englishmen are interested in what their
governors are doing"
X x * x
A feeling of disappointment" is
voiced by the Toronto Daily Star, mot
because the findings do not favor many
valuable reforms, but because the report
does not bring India within sight of
Dominion home rule, which it feels it
was promised; also. because the report
describes convincingly many dificulties
that stand in the way of granting COM
plete self-government. The commission
makes it plain that it believes the prog
reSS towards autonomy will be painful
as we'll as slow. Yet its report is so
worded as to impress the reader with
the sincerity of its authors desire that
the program Of Self-determination shall
proceed as rapidly in India as is con-
sistent with the welfare of all classes
OF the population and the protection of
the interests of the British Empire" as
Serts the Star, with the further COM
ment that so many advantages are Of
fered to the people of India, and such
useless suffering would be inflicted by
persistence in the campaign for indie
pendence, that the best friends of In
dia all over the world will cherish the
hope that the Nationalist will put
aside their own preferences and make
sincere effort TO use the recon-
mendations as a basis for a working
agreement for the good of India"
THE basis of the trouble" in the
opinion of the La Crosse Tribune, very
probably is found in neither country
Kipling explained it-'East Is east and