supposition that India is at present ill-prepared to sustain a system of responsible government in anything like completeness, for owing to the lack of education and political experience, the Indian electorate will for some time be unable either to formulate their requirements intelligently or effectively impose a mandate upon their representatives, and that owing to the inveterate social prejudices of the educated classes there is a great danger of their abusing the political power to exploit the masses. This cardinal fact, it was held, must differentiate the degree and the kind of responsibility which can be introduced at the outset from that which will be the eventual resultant of the new system, and must impose the obligation of ensuring that the forces which now hold the people together are not completely withdrawn before satisfactory substitutes are ready to take their place. On the other hand, it has been urged 1 that there is no necessity to wait till the cardinal fact disappears; for "in all countries responsibility in the beginning has been entrusted to a very small section of the people, and government has been in the hands of a small educated minority, who have naturally cared for the interests of the uneducated masses pending the spread of education and the consequent extension of the franchise." This is of course a familiar line of argument which is usually put forth in India by the political radicals and social tories. If we put aside the painful story of the harsh, cruel and inhuman treatment which the classes in India have accorded to the masses, truth is on their side, for in every country there have been downtrodden communities suffering from social oppression and social injustice, and yet no country has had to be without political power on that account. But those who use this argument forget that if other countries like America with her negroes and Japan with her Hitas are in possession of political power without having first destroyed social inequality, it is due 1 Cf. the evidence of the Hon. V. J. Patel and Mr. Madhava Rao before the Joint Select Committee on the Government of India Bill. House of Commons Return 203 of 1919, p. 106. 1 to the fact of their having been in possession of military power. Military force and moral force are the two chief means to political freedom, and a country which cannot generate the former must cultivate the latter. Thus in India the political problem is entirely a social problem, and a postponement of its solution virtually postpones the day when India can have a free government subject to the mandate of none but her own people. INDEX Aid, 1897-1904, 118 Quasi-permanent Settlements, Budget of 1877-8, analysis, 89 Aid, 1897-1904, 118 130 Bombay (contd.): Revision of Settlements, 1887- Shared Revenue Settlements, Surpluses and Deficits, 119 Budget by Assignments, 1871-2 Budget by Assigned Revenues, Budget by Shared Revenues, Burke, Edmund, 272 Financial Arrangements for, Imperial special Grants-in- Quasi-permanent Settlement, Revision of Settlements, 1887- Revision of Settlements, 1887- Civil Service, Government of Colvin, Sir A., 192 note Criminal Law Amendment Act, Criticism of Administrative Revenue, 1792-1817, Table, 15 Taxes under Imperial System, 12 et seq. Decentralization in British India, Report of Royal Commis- Devolution Rules, Government Dyer, General, 190 East India's Company's Affairs : Secret Committee, 1771, 2 Permanent Settlement, 1912, See also Assam. Famine and Plague Relief Con- Origin of Movement, 29 et seq., Financial changes under Gov- Ghose, N., 198 note, 199 note Report of Committee on the Report of Financial Rela- Report of Committee (Revi- Halsbury, Lord, 196 note Hobart, Lord, 168 note Home Rule Demands in India, Houghton, Bernard, 197 note Ilbert, Sir Courtenay, 201 Deficits 1834-46, Table, 9 1866-70, Table, 52 Federalism v. Imperialism, 29 Irresponsibility of Provincial seq. Imperial Government : Financial relations with Pro- Limitations and restrictions, Import Tariffs, Imperial Sys- Income Tax Act, 1860, 46 Indian Constitutional Reforms Changes in Government, de- Repressive Legislation, 198 Percentage, 1877-78 to 1916-17, Royal Commission on, 153, 155 note Services, Military and Civil, forms scheme, 1918, 205, 209 Jenkins, Sir Lawrence C. J., 198 note Kelkar, N. C., 187 note Laing, S., 43, 47 Lal, Hon. Rai Bahadur Bakshi Sohan, 235 note Land Revenue : Provincial assessments, 55 Land Revenue (contd.): Taxes under Imperial Finance system, 11 Rules under Government of Madhava Rao, Mr., 279 note Divested of Responsible Gov- Financial Settlement, 1882-3, Imperial special Grants-in- Aid, 1897-1904, 118 Quasi-permanent Settlement, Revision of Settlements, 1887- Massey, Mr., 43, 48, 49, 50 note 209 Morley, Lord, 203, 206, 210 Napier of Merchiston, Lord, 36, Civil Service Employment, 21, Imperial System, charges, 21, Northcote, Sir Stafford, 51 note, North-Western Provinces and Budget, 1877-8, analysis, 84 |