INDIAN CRIMES ACT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 422, 3 February 1909, Page 11

INDIAN CRIMES ACT.

iW -» ■ ANAROHI3T' NURSERIES TO BE SUPPRESSED. , i " "SENKELESS OUTRAGES AND BRUTAL _ OWWSB." The Indian'Qouncil at Calcutta hod before it on%«en>ber U the BUI FVLtogte mora snoedy trial of persons charged witli certain otoces and tie prohibition of bo- . oietios dangerous to thtfpubhc peace, | Sir Harvoy Adamson, m introducing the mcast.ro,* delivered a long speech in the vni& of ishioh he.read a striking list «* - anarchical crimes which had occurred in Ben. gal" during the past year, and which gave an jdoa'of t&e methods of the far-rcach,n ß conspiracy, tho object of which was to subyort British rule and render tho administiation of iustioo impossible. • ... Many young men, tho sons of Yespectablc parents, had, ho said, become imbued with misguided fanaticism, and their uwiaturj toinoWd been porverted by the doctrine oi hatred of foreign Governments insidiously .n stilled into them by tho irreconcilable sec turf of the community, It was tho bounder duty ,of the Government to close every ikvoniie leading to the causes of sedition. Since th'al passing of the previous Bills tho cam paignVof agitators'and inflammatory oratory in the Punjab had ooased, and the Newspaper Acth3d had a marked effect on tho press, but lately associations oaM Sarcitis, nr organisations of t "volunteers, had developed with most surprising rapiditj, especially Mn Eastern Bengal,' They were outwardly, devoted to the keeping of order at meetings and 'to tho helping of pilgrims, but thoy'had been largely used for the forcible hoyootting of foreign, goods and terrorising tho I "community, hoping later to take part in a 'general revolution. Dacoitios with murder andiarson had boon organised by the' volun- ' teefs, who PQW numbered about 15,0U0. ino Bamitis constituted a real danger, as. they \rerfc 'nurseries for young Anarchists, and many parents had recently appealed to tho fescue their sons. 'Native Members Speak. '<■ Mr.- Manockji Dadabhoy (Central Provinces''); the Raja of Mahmudabad, the Maharajah'of Darbhanga, tho Maharajah of Dacca, and other native members approved the i BUI. ■ - "JDr. Rash Behary Ghose, who spoke at length, supported tho measure, but deprecated .the Government's taking tho power to suppress associations only deemed to be unlawful. He deplored the passing of tho Bill at aieingle sitting, as the British press seemed W thinX thatjndia, was on, the eve of a revolution* Anarchism was only a partial distemper. Sir Harvey Adamson had not shown that tho present" law was inoapablo ofrdcajing with the present Ov)l. He paid iner 'E.-.rl of Minto a high s tribute for bis nerve and calmness. British'rule was l absolutely necessary for the; growth of India, Anarchism would not bo killed by coercion, butT would; die out as contrary to tho traditions' of th'oir race. • ' ' Sir Norman Baker, Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, emphatically,agreed as to the neceesitfcof a stronger law, He had recently spent some months in England, where ho discussed the situation with many, people, all of •■ whom expressed amazement at the inordinate, delay in-State trials, and upheld the paramount' necessity of punishing the guilt} mora speedily.' .."No stronger and swifter tribUfial than the.- three judges could" be found: Begirding-the proposal to extirpate the sociltie's, he frankly admitted that he did not feel'the sa.rae confidence,' He "was prepared to-igive them a fair .-trial in Bengal. He would administer but he would riot hesitate to,app]y_ for sharper and Icsisf cumbrous weapons if "they were found inadequate. This measure'did not represent even the major portion of tho policy dealing with the ' situation, The greater task was to adjust the machinery of government so thai} their Indian iellow.subjects .might be allotted the part v wmcli $ people could fill. When >the constitutional reforms which" were'being considered were finally announced shortly, he believed this task would be on tho road to accomplishment."* •' »-'• The Viceroy's Justification. i Addressing the Council, the. Earl' l of Minto said;— , r ' r -'~n \ j,, !'\V© sHould .remember that for, years the vapounngs of havo been " disseminating "tho seeds whiojh are now bearing 1 .fruit,-and'that, following m the wake of inflammatory newspaper we ha\c ha"d the speeches 'of revolutionary agitators and" the "consequent deplorable' misguidance of the youth or the country,,culminating in the.commission'of *senselesa outrages and brUtal crimes. No onp has hoped more'sinc#>ly than L that-tlja,^isting i laws of, the land might have proven,, sufficient to deal with tho difficulties' which surrounded'us; 1 biitfcit has not,.'bee'n7so > ' l and'the exceptional legislation we hayo. passed, though ' productive of good; Tcsults, was not framed to.meet the danger which now confronts us. iTbe MawkTollaE'garden discoveries, followed by the attempt on the life of Sir Andrew Fraser and the murder of a poller inspector, have opened a new chapter in the history of sedition. They have talsen us far

\ beyond treasonable pamphlets and revolu-, tionary, speeches.' -They.have shown us the result's of thojse ,preachings, and are laying i bare before"-4s the workings of a murderous , conspiracy—a r widespread conspiracy—re-' cruited from/ttie ranks of emotional young men; saturated with grotesque ideas of politij cal freedonC i* V.'Dr. RaspjJ'Behari Ghose has taken exception to.;<&riMn clauses in the Bill, and to - our p)-oceaijfe in attempting to pass it in a , v , single I' am always very ready to treat the opinion of, my honourable colleague with re'^Jt 1 ) indeed, I_ look to his sago advice and hiij .influence "with his fellow-country-men to assist us largely in tho solution of • the pqEfciStl problems of the future. But when I ram told that the, position is pot one of f sucji>oWrgency as'to'justify a departure from the* recognised routine in the intro-. duction,of new legislation, and that a further opportunity should be given for conBtltWJonal/'disQHssion and for the expression of public opinion, I must refuse to agree, Puhltcj.opiniou—-European and Indian—has - spokjm out freely from every part of the has 1 officially,and privately declared to me that tho existing insecurity can no longer be tolerated, and that tho Government must be more efficiently armed. success, of the future must be based not only upon the' united efforts and co- • operation of British and Indian administiators, but on tho good sense of the Indian community.' Upon its active assistance at the present moment much depends, nnd I would ' earnestly ask members or every race and of 1 , every caste and creed to unite in one comv mo'n effort to put an end to tho dark plots and apprehensions of hidden danger which oro . crjpplmg the daily life of the people. I would ask them to assist tho Government of India in removing the causes which have so unfortunately necessitated to-day's legislation." '." Tho Bill was then passed i by the Council.