Part 12 (1/2)

_Army Commissions_

Resolution XII. This Congress (b) This Conference strongly places on record its deep urges that Indians should be disappointment at the altogether nominated to 20 per cent., inadequate response made by the to start with, of King's Government to the demand for the commissions in the Indian Army grant of commissions to Indians and that adequate provision for in the army, and is of opinion training them should be made in that steps should be immediately this country itself.

taken so as to enable the grant to Indians at an early date of at least 25 per cent. of the commissions in the army, the proportions to be gradually increased to 50 per cent. within a period of ten years.

_Public Services_

Resolution XVII. That this X (a) This Conference thanks the Congress is of opinion that the Secretary of State and the proportion of annual recruitment Viceroy for recommending that to the Indian civil service to all racial bars should be be made in England should be 50 abolished and for recognizing per cent. to start with, such the principle of recruiting of recruitment to be by open all the Indian public services compet.i.tion in India from in India and in England instead persons already appointed to the of any service being recruited Provincial Civil Service. for exclusively in the latter country.

_Franchise for Women_

Resolution VIII. Women possessing the same qualifications as are laid down for men in any part of the Scheme shall not be disqualified on account of s.e.x.

CONSt.i.tUTION OF COUNCILS CONSt.i.tUTION OF PERIODIC COMMISSION Resolution XIII. That, so far as the question of determining the 9 (b) Some provision should be franchise and the const.i.tuence made for the appointment and and the composition of the cooperation of qualified Indians Legislative a.s.semblies is on the periodic commission concerned, this Congress is of proposed to be appointed every opinion that, instead of being ten or twelve years and it left to be dealt with by should further be provided that Committees, it should be decided the first periodic commission by the House of Commons and be shall come to India and submit incorporated in the statute to its recommendations to be framed for the const.i.tution Parliament before the expiry of of the Indian Government. the third Legislative Council after the Reform Scheme comes Resolution XIV. That as regards into operation and that every the Committee to advise on the subsequent periodic commission question of the separation of should be appointed at the end Indian from provincial functions of every ten years.

and also with regard to the Committee if any for the consideration of reserved or an unreserved department, this Congress is of opinion that the principle set forth in the above resolution should apply _mutatis mutandis_ to the formation of the said Committee.

Or

In the alternative; if a Committee is appointed for the purpose, the two non-official members of the Committee should be elected--one by the All-India Congress Committee and the other by the Council of the Moslem League while the coopted non-official for each province should be elected by the Provincial Congress Committee of that province.

The All-India Muslim League is in substantial accord with the resolutions of the Special Congress. It will be easily seen that Indian opinion, of both Hindus and Mussulmans, is substantially in accord in their demands for the democratization of the Central government and in their criticism of the rest of the scheme. The Indians have thus exercised their right of self-determination through their popular bodies and are ent.i.tled to get what they demand. After all, what they ask for is only a modest instalment of autonomy under British control.

In the appendices the reader will find a comparative table showing (a) the present Const.i.tution of Government in India (b) the proposals of the Secretary of State and the Viceroy (c) and the Congress League Scheme.

XI

INDIA'S CLAIM TO FISCAL AUTONOMY ”INDUSTRIES AND TARIFFS”

... for equality of right amongst nations, small as well as great, is one of the fundamental issues this country and her allies are fighting to establish in this war.

DAVID LLOYD GEORGE

”The War Aims of the Allies.” Speech delivered to delegates of the Trade Unions, at the Central Hall, Westminster, January 5, 1918.

I beg to record my strong opinion that in the matter of Indian industries we are bound to consider Indian interests firstly, secondly, and thirdly. I mean by ”firstly” that the local raw products should be utilised, by secondly, that industries should be introduced and by ”thirdly” that the profits of such industry should remain in the country.

SIR FREDERICK NICHOLSON

Quoted on page 300, Report of the Indian Industrial Commission, 1916-1918.

Economic bondage is the worst of all bondages. Economic dependence, or the lack of economic independence, is the source of all misery, individual or national. A person economically dependent upon another is a virtual slave, despite appearances. He who supplies food and raiment and the necessities of life is the real master.

The desire for gain dominates the world and all its activities. Even religion, as ordinarily understood, interpreted and administered, is a game of pounds and s.h.i.+llings, say what one may to the contrary. There are exceptions to this statement, but they are few and far between. The world does not subsist by bread alone, but without bread it cannot exist even for a minute. The generality of the world cares more for bread than for anything else, though there are individuals and groups of individuals who would not stoop to obtain bread by dishonorable means and those also who would die rather than obtain bread by the violation of their soul.

There are numerous ways in which a subject nation feels the humiliation and helplessness of her position, but none is so telling and so effective as the subordination of her economic interests to those of the dominant power. This is especially true in these days of free and easy transportation, of quick journeys, and of scientific warfare. In any struggle between nations, the victory eventually must rest with the one in possession of the largest number of ”silver bullets.” It is true that silver bullets alone will not do unless there are brains and bodies to use them, but the latter without the former are helpless.

A nation may be the greatest producer of food; yet she may die of hunger from lack of ability to keep her own produce for herself. Food obeys the behest of the silver bullets. The law of self-preservation, therefore, requires only that nations be free to regulate their own household, subject to the condition that thereby they do not violate the rules of humanity or trample upon the rights of any human being.

Mr. Montagu and Lord Chelmsford have, in parts of their Report, been extremely candid. The value of their joint production lies in this candidness. In no other part, perhaps, have they been so candid as in the one dealing with ”Industries and Tariff.” In Paragraph 331 they frankly admit the truth of the following observation of the late Mr.

Ranade on the economic effects of British rule in India: