The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-30
Bv VERN SMITH.


INDIA has S2O,OOO,O0O people, the overwhelm-
ing majority of them oppressed peasantry
tenant farmers or very small landholders over
whelmngly in debt. Within recent years. most
ly since the beginning of the century, great
industrial proletariat has grown up, chiefly
textile, iron and railroad workers.
Though their percentage of the total popula-
ton is not great, their numbers are consider
able: the proletarat and semi-proletariat
(handicraftsmen, etc. running into millions.
The British imperial government has ruled
India since the middle of the eighteenth CEN
fury, first through the intermediary OF char
tered company exercising state power and
since 1858, after the unsuccessful revolutionary
war known in history books as the Indian
Mutiny, it has ruled directly in large section
of the country. British India" with two
thirds of the population, and indirectly, but no
less surely, in the rest of the country through
treaties with over 700 different big and little
native princes. Each of these princes (their
titles are varied, romantic and innumerable)
is pure parasite the country powerless,
but allowed to camouflage the face of British
rule to his patriotic subjects, and to draw
enormous salaries for so doing.
Princes Against Revolt.
1t is noteworthy that though in the Indian
Mutiny" some of the native rulers revolted,
in the present revolutionary uprising they are
all supporting the government Except for
few tribal leaders near Afghanistan). This is
fundamentally different kind of revolt, it is
a revolt in which peasants and proletariat be-
gin to fight for themselves.
The government is an autocracy, administered
by the Governor General in Council who is
responsible only to the British cabinet, and to
the party handling Britain's empire of exploit
tation at the time, just now to the British
Labor" Party. There is an Indian legislative
assembly established some years ago as sop
to the movement for national independence
rising at the time, but this assembly, except
for certain very limited spheres of government
is advisory only and it is elected so much from
the native henchmen of the imperialists, through
a narrow suffrage, that it plays little part in
the present situation.
Castles and Faiths
Britain's method has been the ancient i'm
perialist practice of "divide and rule" India
has many races nationalites and religions.
Britain's main effort is to prevent class cons
ciousness from developing along the basis of
modern industry bourgeois and proletaran,
etc. and to keep alive the sharp divisions be-
tween Mohammedans (some 80000,000 of the
population) and the Hindus, most of the rest of
the population. In addition, after conquering
the Sikhs Ia nation and a regon) and the
Gurkhas "a nationality, with many living in a
tribal society Britain made these two groups
especially into cossacks, serving very much as
the Russian cars cossacks served. They pro-
vide soldiers for the army, and get certain
compensations in return.
Regiments are also recruited from the war
rior caste among the Hindus, and from among
the Mohammedans. The caste system is kept
alive by special consideration from the govern
ment to the higher castles, which applies even