THROUGH INDIA'S DUSKY VEILS.

NZ Truth, Issue 138, 8 February 1908, Page 8

THROUGH INDIA'S DUSKY VEILS.

KEIR HARDIES EXPERIENCES. British Domination and Oppression. THE TRUTH ABOUT " SEDITION."

Deluded by . a perjured,. Plutish and pseudo-patriotic press, the people of Australia have few opportunities of ascertaining the actual condition of the people of India under the oppressive domination of the British "raj." But last Sunday night (says Melbourne "Truth," of Jan 25) Keir Hardie, M.P., the British Lab.or Leader, m an address delivered at the Bijou Theatre, ruthlessly tore aside the veil that hides that land of mystery, and told the stery of British brutality m its true and glaring colors. The Labor veteran was accorded a vociferously cordial reception by a large and heat-sweltered audience, and as the sturdy old Scotch miner stood on the platform minus • coat and vest he looked the embodiment of a stalwart worker. First he referred to Japan ;.. it was especially noticeable that he had nothing to say of either Australia or Canada. Perhaps he doesn't want to offend us by too plain speaking. JAPAN'S AWAKENING. Japan, said Keir Hardie, is m a very mixed condition. The new commercial spirit is encountering mediaeval feudalism. There had been a good deal of development m Japan, but it had been the work of a few men at the top. But now tbe Japanese artisan was beginning to think, and came to the conclusion that though the nation was wealthier the conditions of his life had changed very much for the worse. The trades union movement was developing very rapidly there. A strike took place m a colliery district, and, m the most approved European ' fashion the military were sent down to "maintain i order." But the miners had also served m the war against Russia, and > they brought their rifles out and. : said "If yau want a scrimmage, all right. But after we fought against an enemy of the country, why should we have your bullets turned against us because we are now fighting the greatest enemy of any country—Cap- . italism ?" And these sturdy Jap miners won. In the next 25 years there would be still greater development m that country; but it would be a different kind of development. Fron Japan Keir Hardie WENT TO CHINA. There the development is not so great, "But," says Hardie, "if the West ever succeeds m stimulating China we will have a bigger handiul on than I care to reckon on.", Referring to the "yellow peril," he said that Buddhists loved peace and hated stTife. Despite the efforts m Australia to workup the "yellow peril" he gave it as nis opinion that so far as Australia and New Zealand were concerned there was no Japanese peril whatever. As for the Chinese the strange thing about "John" was that he had no moral sense, and never " did anything but for his own purposes. " Tho Chinaman did not want to bo disturbed. But European merchant's and exploiters for their own Purnoses were exploiting the country. Some day the Chinese nation would wake up, and would not allow outsiders to exploit the country. "If ever there is a yellow peril," said : Hardie, "it will be due to TIHE GREED OF GAIN on the part of people who enter a country where they. have no right. Dealing with India, Keir Hardie nointed out that the Government of India was subordinate to the Governmpnt m England. Therefore the people of England were responsible for the condition of India. And the neonle of Australia, as part ofthe British Emnire, also had a share ofthe responsibility. As for the things he was alleged to have said m India, he was not m the habit of sneaking till he had made up his >■ mind after fcnowine the facts, and then he would not withdraw, be the consequences what they may. In India we were not dealing with a degraded people. Our western civilisation and religion came from India 2500 years ago. They were. the same people as ourselves save for the Oriental habit of mind and the color of their skin. Their brains were more subtle than those of Western people. To treat them' as if they were savage barbarians was therefore not to . be tolerated. • . "Certainly there are religious differences between the-. Hindu and the Mohammedan," continued Hardie., who added with a touch of Scotch humor : "But anyone, who, like myself, has visited the North of Ireland, knows that^N . RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES are not confined to India. There is far less rancor m India that there is m Ireland." A 'Voice : ■ Or m Brunswick ! ( Cheers j 'Keir Hardie referred to the child marriages m India, and caste prejudices, instancing a case within his own knowledge where a little girl eight gears' of age was married. Many baby girls were betrothed before they were six weeks .old and married before they were ten years. But between child>-m!arriage and child-slavery, which existed m Christian England until a few years ago, there was not a very great difference. The principal part of the address was that which dealt with the SO-CALLED "SEDITIOUS MOVEMENT" m India. "Only last night," said Hardie, "your evening 'Herald' stated, 'Sedition is spreading m India.' But I issue a very serious warning to you to guard against being misled by this cry of 'sedition' by the ruling classes. The Radicals of England were accused of 'Sedition' because they were guilty of the crime of asking for votes. The early Christians were called 'rebels, atheists, and seditious people' by the ruling classes, with whom it is an old trick to use the term for every movement m the direction of reform. In India men are being SENT TO PRISON AND DEPORTED WITHOUT TRIAL." He' had been told that be mixed with the agitators and became one of their leaders. He was received by all classes of officials, but -he also

mixed freely With all classes and conditions of the. people, landlords, artisans, and peasants. "I say," he remarked, "that there, is no such thing as disloyalty or sedition m the Indian Empire. A more loyal and more submissive people do not exist than the Hindus, of India. It is because they have been submissive for so long that they are called 'rebels' to-day because, they dare to ask for the most elementary rights." Referring to the brutal act of Viceroy Minto m connection with the partition of Bengal, Hardie explained the local situation, and remarked that the only form' of "sedition" of which the people had been guilty was to agitate for the repeal of the unwarranted official act. Their "sedition" consisted merely of a BOYCOTT OF BRITISH GOODS, which Gladstone • had declared to bejustifiable and constitutional m Ireland: Yet m Bengal armed constables were placed every 25 yards, Hindu widows were carried off and outraged, and he had photographs of bouses which had been .broken into m the search for incriminating documents. He said, and he .now repeated, that sucli things reminded him more of Russia, than of boasted British administration. In Delhi, they were told, there was to be a second mutiny. It was just 50 years ago last May since the Mutiny, and- the coincidence was seized upon by the bogus Imperialists to raise a scare. The Town Council DOUBLED THE MUNICIPAL TAX, and the taxpayers held meetings to protest against the increase. That was called "sedition." Then £ contractor fpr a new tramway m Delhi had a dispute with his men about wages., They met him m the street and gave him a sound drubbing. But m consequence of this street row people rushed off to the European quarter and cried, "The Mutiny has broken out!" The military \vere out, the European houses were barricaded, and for a whole 21 hours the white population was m a state of alarm.. The street row did not occupy more than five minutes. Yet the rumor was started that seven Englishmen had been brutally murdered! As soon as the increased tax was withdrawn the agitation subsided. At Rawal Pindii an agitation for the redress of grievances was also called "sedition ■!" "I warn you against believing the stories you hear THROUGH PERJURED SOURCES," said Hardie. "The voice of the people of India has not reached you. The Government of India is a military despotism tempered by civil bureaucracy There is no popular Government there" As to the condition ofthe people of India, Keir Hardie pointed out that out of a population of 800.000,---000, probably 250,000,000 were always hungry. Even at the best of times the ryot did not receive enough to eat. Children were sent to school with a handful, probably 3oz. to 40z., of millet or grain, very often uncooked. They munched that at midday, and probably got no more until the same hour next day. " 'What suggestions do you mako ?' I am often asked," said Keir Hardie, m conclusion. "My unvarying reply is, 'Give the people of India some effective voice m and control over Indian affairs. That is the remedy."