"So much for the general situation. In Northern India the
outbreaks were nakedly revolutionary. They are unconnected with
the Rowlatt Act or with passive resistance, which probably
precipitated a movement long concerted. There is abundant evidence
of the organized revolutionary character of the disturbances in
the systematic attacks on railways, telegraphs, and all means of
communication, and its definitely anti-British character is
apparent from the efforts to plunge the railways into a general
strike.
"There are signs of the inter-connection of the Punjab
revolutionaries with the Bombay revolutionaries who organized
attacks on communications at Ahmedabad and Viramgam, derailed
trains, cut telegraphs, and sent rowdies from Kaira to take part
in the work of destruction. There is evidence also of some outside
inspiration, but whether Bolshevist or otherwise is obscure.
"Whilst in the Punjab the soil was fruitful, owing to economic
conditions, the ravages of influenza, and the pressure of last
year's recruiting campaign, the revolutionary origin of the
disturbances is unquestioned...."
As usual the message is a mixture of truth and imagination. At most it
is a partisan view. Be the causes what they may, the events in our
judgment amply justify the following conclusions:
(_a_) That India is politically united in demanding a far reaching
measure of self-determination.
(_b_) That she will not be satisfied with paltry measures of political
reform which do not give her power to shape her fiscal policy in her own
interests, independent of control from London.
(_c_) That it is useless to further harp on the "cleavages" of race,
religion and language, in dealing with the problem of India.
(_d_) That the country is no longer prepared to let measures of coercion
pass and take effect without making their protest and dislike known to
the authorities in a manner, the significance of which may not be open
to misunderstanding.
The Indian members of the Legislative Council while opposing the Rowlatt
Bills spoke in sufficiently clear and strong language of the grave
situation the Government was creating by its ill-considered policy. They
knew their people. The bureaucracy evidently dismissed it as bluff or,
if it knew what was likely to happen, encouraged it in the hope that the
outbreak might justify their opposition to, and dislike of, the
Montagu-Chelmsford scheme. In doing that they have had to hatch the eggs
they themselves laid. These events have, besides, proved (_a_) that the
lead of the country has passed from the hands of the so called "natural
leaders," the aristocracy of land, money and birth; (_b_) that even the
moderate leaders have considerably lost in prestige and influence; (_c_)
that the lead has definitely passed into hands that openly and frankly
stand for self-determination and self-government within the Empire and
are prepared for _any sacrifice_ to achieve that end; (_d_) that the old
methods of governing India must now be discarded once for all and the
charge of provinces taken away from sun-dried bureaucrats of the type of
Sir Michael O'Dwyer and Sir Reginald Craddock.
The bloodshed in the Punjab, which outdid all other Provinces in sending
help during the war both in men and money, pointed to the administration
or mal-administration of Sir Michael O'Dwyer as responsible for the
nature and intensity of the outbreak. If ever there was a British ruler
of India who deserved impeachment it is Sir Michael O'Dwyer. He was not
only a tyrant and a snob of the worst order but he was incompetent also.
One of the two things must have happened: Either he was out of touch
with public feeling in the province or he deliberately provoked this
disaster by a policy of strength. In either case he deserves to be
publicly impeached and condemned for incompetence or brutality or
possibly for both.
The following Summary of the orders passed by the officer commanding
shows the nature of the martial law administered in the "most loyal"
province in India, a province which has so far been considered to be the
right arm of British Ráj in India.
I have italicised some words and sentences for special attention. The
reader I hope will note the exceptions in favor of the Europeans and the
Indian servants in the employ of the Europeans and also the
reasonableness of the other orders, threatening punishment upon the
owners of certain properties and requiring "all students," and all male
persons belonging to private Colleges in Lahore to attend four times a
day at a particular place for roll call. Order No. 14 is a gem of great
brilliance.
I have omitted order No. 6 as unimportant. Orders from 8 to 12 inclusive
are not available. What has been given above, however, is quite
sufficient to show the nature of the martial law that has been applied
to the Punjab, after five years of unquestioned and unrivalled loyalty
to the British Empire, in the period of greatest danger that had
overtaken it. Such is the reward of "loyalty."