Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1912 — Page 2

The TAMING of INDIA

HE guns which fired a parting salute to King George in Bom bay harbor recently, closed a chapter in Indian “history. Hsu# the unprecedented visit of the king-emperor been a success? Will the astonishing changes in Indian administration which he announced at the Durbar prove to be, as some think, a masterstroke of statesmanship, or h&s England made a colossal blun*

der, which will imperil her position In that Asiatic empire which she has governed so successfully for more than a hundred years? '•-•••• - - _ - - These are questions which Indians and Englishmen alike are asking. Lord Curzon, Lord Minto and others have announced that they will bring the matter up in the house of lords as soon as parliament meets again. Mr. As-' quith has given assurances that it will receive due consideration in the commons. While no one professes to regard the announcements made by the king as anything hut final, there seems to be a growing realization of the gravity of the changes, which at-the tlmeof their announcement were somewhat overshadowed by the pomp -and pageantry of the great Durbar. 7 ,7' . Details of the changes are now available, and It appears that the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi is only part—and not necessarily the most important part—of a farreaching scheme of provincial readjustment

which will affect 82,000,000 human beings and an area as large as that of Prance or Germany. tho province of Bengal, which was partitioned fcy Lord Cilrzon in 1905, against the violent protest of its people, and which has been the headquarters of the sedition in India ever since, is to be reunited. The great divisions of Behar, Chota 'Nagpur and Orissa, which now belong to Bengal, although their populations are distinct in race and language, will be detached from Bengal and form a new province, under the control of a lieutenant governor and council. Assam is to be separately administered by a chief commissioner, as was the case prioiMo 1906. Lastly, the province of Bengal is to be raised to the rank of a presidency (after the example of Madras and Bombay) with a governor from England appointed by the king. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that ■ no such sweeping administrative change as this has taken place since the British crown " look over the government of the country from the Blast India company at the close of the mutiny In 1868. As to the motives, which prompted the move there is a conflict of opinion. The nationalists regard It as a victory for their cause. They consider that the modification of the partition of Bengal—which the English authorities have repeatedly declared would never be altered —is a confession of-weakness on the part of the government, and some of the leaders of the unrest are bold enough to say that the government transferred the capital to Delhi because Calcutta had got too hot to hold it. On the other hand, the dispatches which passed ' between Simla and London, which have now been made public, contain an array of practical arguments in favor of the change, which successfully disposes of any theory that the government was driven to the measure as the result of seditious agitation. In less troublous times the move would seem justified on plain administrative grounds. As It is, It must be considered as a bold experiment, which is admirable in theory, but which in practice can only be justified by success. Curiously enough, its first effect has been precisely the opposite of what was expected. It was thought that the Mohammedans would hail with joy the establishment of the central government f*» the ancient capital of the Moghul emperors. On the contrary, they have been the first to . denounce the arrangement,, declaring with true Indian perversity that sentimental considerations mean nothing to them in comparison ;.with the loss of their political power in the /abolition of the province of Eastern Bengal. It is not the Mohammedans, but their ances- ! tral foes, the Rajputs, who welcome the establishment of the capital within easy reach ;of their territory. The Bengalis, too, who | were expected to resent the loss of prestige to Calcutta involved In the transfer, have declared that tfeey/*re more than compensated ;by the wlshed-for union of the Bengali people. The Hindus in Eastern Bengal have been -lighting bonfires for a month past in celebration jpf the event, So far as can be ascertain* ’ ed the inhabitants of the newly created province of Behar and Orissa are pleased at their release from- Bengal domination. Bombay, the Punjab and the United Provinces are sensible Jof -the advantages, that will accrue to them for ; geographical reasons. The rest of India Is Indifferent Delhi is regarded by the government as a better place for a capital than Calcutta, be . cause of its historic traditions, central location, and better climate, which will qn.able the viceroy and his staff to reside there for all hut four months of the year. On the other haad, it is more removed from the commercial interests and active life of modern India. Europeans in Calcutta have not hesitated in declaring that It will be little better than a “Simla of the Plains,” TSe rearrangement of the provinces will make for greater administrative efficiency, though that again is criticized on the ground that the modification of the partition of Bengal la a useless conclusion to an agitation that was already practically dead, while It will undo all the good work which has been started la the backward

districts of Eastern Bengal. The government denies this. The announcement of the great changes has had at least one effect that is already apparent; it has, immensely impressed Hindus and ' Mohammedans alike with the power 6t the emperor. Although King George stated at the Durbar that he was acting on the advice of his ministers, this seems to have been ignored by the mass of his subjects, who felt that here was a ruler indeed, whose lightest whim was law, and who could change at a word the foundations of government and the established order of generations. I suppose that few official announcements have ever been more dramatic. Perhaps a dozen men out of India’s 300,000,000 were in the secret, and to the rest the declaration came with the surprising force of a revelation. It is precisely for this reason that anxiety is felt over the ultimata reception of the proposals by the Indian people. When the aws caused by the visible presence of the sovereign has passed away, it is feared that fierce opposition may break out in many quarters. The original partition of Bengal was thought at the time to he an innocent measure, but it stirred up disloyalty in half of India, turned two provinces into hotbeds of sedition and provoked a series of anarchistic crimes which has not yet come to an end. The present changes claim to be purely administrative, but the peculiarly secret and arbitrary' way in which they were determined may prove an excuse for new discontent. More than one English official who was at the Durbar expressed the opinion that the next year or two would see another wave of anarchy and sedition incomparably greater than anything India has yet known: The government does not hold this view. It remains to be seen who is right. g Two important facts, in any case, have been made clear by the publication of the dis- . patches. The first Is that India is at. last being governed once more from India and not fi«a London, as was the case when Lord Minto was viceroy and Lord Morley secretary of state. The entire scheme for tile change of capital and redistribution of provinces originated at Simla, and was embodied in a dispatch from the central government to Lord Crewe, who accepted the proposal without a change. It would be interesting to know whether Lord H&rdinge or his council are principally responsible for the undertaking. -If the former proves to be the case, current views of the new viceroy will have to be revised. It argues more, than a little courage and initiative in a man who has been in India barely a year to risk his official reputation on such a hazardous measure. The other fact disclosed- by the dispatches is an important intimation of England’s policy regardtag the future government of India. Lord Hardinxe and his associates stats in so many

words that the only solution of the Indian situation lies in the practical autonomy of the provincial governments. In other words, the old bureaucratic regime, which began with the first victories of Clive and the taking over of the Bengal diwaul by barren Hastings is confessed at least to t>e a failure. Decentralize tesTO betbe watchword from this time' onward. A new India is gradually to be former, on the model on Canada. It will consist of a group of confederated states, financially independent and legislating for themselves in local matters, but subject to the control <H the central government in imperial affairs. In name there will probably be little change, for the government of India Is slow to move and conservative, yet this is, baldly stated, the signification of the plan. At the same time a further extension of the principle of self-gov-ernment is indicated. To judge from the words of the dispatch, the central authorities are at last alive to the fact that the government of India must not only be for the Indians, but to a large extent by them, if- it hopes to endure. Lord Hardinge’S words foreshadow a speedy enlargement of the elective element in the legislative councils and are the most important pronouncement in this respect that has been heard since Lord Morley made public his deo laration to grant his famous reforms. The general effect Of the king's visit seems to have been strengthening the loyalty of the Indian people to a degree that surpassed expectations. The wonderful spectacle of the Durbar made a profound impression, and when the king and queen later stood on the wall of the fort in Delhi and received the homage of an adoring crowd of more than 100,000 natives, It is said that the scene was indescribable. Gray*bearded men bowed themselves to the ground others wept for joy and mothers held up their babies above their heads to see and be blessed by the emperor. An incident that happened at the laying of the first stones of the new capital gained the king a great reputation among the people. As he was about to touch one of the stones with his golden trowel be noticed that It w*a not quite straight, and asked the master mason to bring it into better alignment The ceremony was stopped for a few minutes while this was done. The story spread like wildfire through the bazars, and was accepted as ah omen by the natives, who now credit their emperor with almost supernatural powers of discernment and a determination to establish the foundations of his city so surely that It will last through all the ages to come. No seditious attempts were made on the life of the king, although the murder of a police inspector, in Eastern Bengal the night before the Durbar gave eloquot testimony to the fact that .disloyalty still exins in some sections of the population. The release or remission of sentence of oyer 180 political prisoners was a move of tiie king's, which added to his popularity. while his concessions to the native army and the grant of money f6r the extension of ed-

by LAURISTON WARD

Hindustan from the njrthwest from time im* mortal? To prove this the traveler has only to wander along the sandy banks of the river Juma, and also to realize the mortality of empires, for one can dearly see, as in Rome, cities built upon the rutoß of cities, and in addition the relics of many a Hindu capital of bygone ages. “ The Delhi of today is of course the mighty city of Shah Jehari, with its seven gates and as many arches. The Delhi of the future will be built on the site of the recent Durbar camp. This is situated some miles from the site of the old Mogul capital, as the famous mutiny ridge camp separated the latter from the former camp. It will have the advantage of being built on fresh ground, a> by no trifling detail in India, where sanitation is of paramount importance. Prom the point of’ view of climate, *lbo, there is no doubt that Delhi possesses great advantages over Calcutta. To the newcomer In India Calcutta is described as having one hot month and eleven —hot months, whereas the cold weather of Delhi is delightful Another important feature of the proposed change is that the position of Delhi will remove the headquarters of the government from the environment of what is known in India as the Bengali element This type of supereducated Indian native has undoubtedly been responsible in no small measure for the agitation caused by the partition of Bengal. This innovation was initiated by Lord Curzon and though the agitation against it was never really popular or In any sense national, yet this noisy Bengali element succeeded in raising a clamor quite out of nil proportion te their actual numbers, aided as they were by the vernacular press. The further partition of Bengal, recently announced, may have the advantage of further decentralization of the unwiskßLjnfc. chine of teeming millions already \llvlded by Curzon’s action. Another great advantage in the change of the capital is the fact that Delhi Is undoubtedly much more in the center of the fighting races than Calcutta. The great native princes much more easily can assemble there. The Shlkh and the; Rajput princes are the Maharajah of Kashmir, the Gaekwar of Baroda, the important Nizam of Hyderabad, and the head of that well governed state of Mysore, are mostly at no great distance away, and these all undoubtedly will welcome the change of capital.

LUXURY.

Jim, who worked in * garage, had just declined Mr. Smith’B invitation to ride is hie new car. “What’s the matter, Jim,” asked Mr. Smith; “are you sick?” V v “Ho, sah,” he replied. "’JPaiu’t thatr-I don* los* five donara. sah, an’ I jee' nkchirly got tuh ilt an' grieve.”—Success.

ucation were deeply appreciated. It Is safe to say that If the new reforms are followed by a further extension of representative . government King George will be regarded by the mass of his Indian subjects as one of the best beloved emperors that •India has ever known. Hindu and Mohammedan sentiment have for* ages marked out Delhi as the real native capital, for has not Delhi, no doubt, mainly from Its geographical position, become the capital of every Invading and conquering dynasty as it swept over

WELL WORTH THE WHIPPING

Adventurous Small Boys Determined to Bee Cause of Commotion, and Had-Their Reward. ~ Ed HOW 6, the" great Kansas editor of Atchison Globe fame, tells the following story In the American Magazine: '-'7"''n7-'. “So Uttle that is really exciting or worth while has happened in my life that I am greatly interested in Jim and Dan Ayers, who run a restaurant in the town where I live. Something really happened to them once upon a time, and when I go to their restaurant I enjoy hearing them tell about it “When they were boys, they lived on a farm in Virginia; I have heard them say their post office was Sudley Springs. One Sunday morning their father started them to Sunday school, and after they had loitered along the way a mile or two Jim Ayers remarked a co'mmbtion over beyond what they called the Big Woods. ‘“What’s that?’ Jim asked, stopping. “It was getting late by this time, and Dan replied: “T don’t know, but we’d better hurry and get to Sunday school, or we’ll get ~a whipping.’ “Then they hurried on, but the commotion over beyond the Big Woods broke out again, faintly, but It was very "unusual, and Jim stopped and listened. He had never heard anythlnk like It before, although be was a big boy twelve years old and, listening a while, he said: . “‘l’m going over there.’ “ ‘Better not,’ Dan said. ‘You knowfather whips hard.’ “But the strange commotion continued, so Jim said he was going, whipping or no whipping. Dan followed, but kept saying they would catch It when they returned home. “They walked and walked .and walked; all the time the commotion over beyond the Big Woods became' more pronounced, but they couldn’t' tell what it was. They forded streams, and were chased by strange dogs, but kept on from ten o’clock in the morning until three o’clock in the afternoon. They had nothing to eat, and they didn’t know that they could ever find their way back, because they were in a country strange to them. But they kept on, and a little after { three o’clock, as a reward for their perseverance, they walked into the battle of Bull Run. I never before heard of boys going anywhere and finding anything as great as they expected.”

Fatal French Blank Cartridge.

A strange and sad accident occurred In the course of drill maneuvers at Montreull-sous-Bols, in the suburbs of Paris, where a soldier was killed by a blank cartridge discharged at him by a fellow soldier. A company of the thirty-first regiment was taken out to Montreuil for maneuvers. At three o’clock in the afternoon the lieutenant in command decided to order a sham attack on a fort, which his soldiers were to storm. Some of the soldiers were posted as sentrleß, and the others were told that in storming the imaginary fort they were to try specially to take the sentries prisoners, but a formal order was given to the soldiers that they were not to load their rifles. In spite of this a shot was suddenly heard, and a soldier fell with a groan: "HiTWara young recruit called Laurent, and near him stood another sotdier who had acted, as sentry and was completely dumfounded by what had happened. Either he did not know that there was a cartridge in the weapon or he fired thinking that It was only a part of the sham fighting. Laurent was taken to the .hospital at Begin, and soon as terward expired. He bad been killed by the packing of the blank cartridge, which, being fired within only a yard or two of him, acted like a bullet. The unfortunate soldier was the eldest son of a widow, who has three smaller children to bring: up.—Paris Correspondence London Telegraph.

Sidelight on Lloyd-George.

On the day Lloyd-George became chancellor of the exchequer he left the house with a friend of his boyhood (and his love of old friends is not the least attractive phase of his character). As they talked of his advancement he said: “In all my career I do not remember a hand being held out to-me from above and. and a voice raying “Dring i fynoy yma’ (climb thou up here). But don’t! misunderstand me,” he went on,, “there have been thousands of hands which have pushed me up from be? hind.” He doer not forget these hands. He doe* not forget from “Whence oomes his authority and Ms commission. There have been times when one has feared —times when his light anchorage seemed in danger of yielding Jo the impact of opportunism. But tliat memory of his own people, that loyalty to the Inspiration of-the mountains and the' simple tJfarditions of his fathers baa saved him and will save him. —London Daily Newa :-7T -t

Wisdom of Mrs. Wyse.

Mrs. Green —You spoke Just now of social tact. Precisely what do you mean? Mrs. Wyse—By social tact I mean getting familiar with all sorts of people without letting them get familiar with you.—Boston Evening Transcript. 9*

Natural Result.

*We tried that new play on the dog.” fttato shape*.