Indian speeches (1907-1909)

Indian speeches (1907-1909)

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Title: Indian speeches (1907-1909)
Author: John Morley (AKA Viscount Morley)
Release Date: February 6, 2004 [EBook #10956]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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INDIAN SPEECHES
(1907-1909)
BY VISCOUNT MORLEY
OM
_The modern and Western spirit is assuredly at work in the Indian
countries, but the vital question for Indian Governments is, How far it
has changed the ideas of men_?--SIR HENRY MAINE.
1909

NOTE
A signal transaction is now taking place in the course of Indian polity.
These speeches, with no rhetorical pretensions, contain some of the just,
prudent, and necessary points and considerations, that have guided this
transaction, and helped to secure for it the sanction of Parliament. The
too limited public that follows Indian affairs with coherent attention,
may find this small sheaf of speeches, revised as they have been, to be
of passing use. Three cardinal State-papers have been appended. They
mark the spirit of British rule in India, at three successive stages, for
three generations past; and bear directly upon what is now being done.
_November_, 1909.

CONTENTS
I. ON PRESENTING THE INDIAN BUDGET. (House of Commons,
June 6, 1907)
II. TO CONSTITUENTS. (Arbroath, October 21, 1907)
III. ON AMENDMENT TO ADDRESS. (House of Commons, January
31, 1908)
IV. INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE. (London, July, 1908)
V. ON PROPOSED REFORMS. (House of Lords, December 17, 1908)
VI. HINDUS AND MAHOMETANS. (January, 1909)
VII. SECOND READING OF INDIAN COUNCILS BILL. (House of
Lords)
VIII. INDIAN PROBATIONERS. (Oxford, June 13, 1909)
APPENDIX
THREE STATE-PAPERS: 1833, 1858, 1908

INDIAN SPEECHES
I
ON PRESENTING THE INDIAN BUDGET
(HOUSE OF COMMONS. JUNE 6, 1907)
I am afraid I shall have to ask the House for rather a large draft upon its
indulgence. The Indian Secretary is like the aloe, that blooms once in
100 years: he only troubles the House with speeches of his own once in
twelve months. There are several topics which the House will expect

me to say something about, and of these are two or three topics of
supreme interest and importance, for which I plead for patience and
comprehensive consideration. We are too apt to find that Gentlemen
both here and outside fix upon some incident of which they read in the
newspaper; they put it under a microscope; they indulge in reflections
upon it; and they regard that as taking an intelligent interest in the
affairs of India. If we could suppose that on some occasion within the
last three or four weeks a wrong turn had been taken in judgment at
Simla, or in the Cabinet, or in the India Office, or that to-day in this
House some wrong turn might be taken, what disasters would follow,
what titanic efforts to repair these disasters, what devouring waste of
national and Indian treasure, and what a wreckage might follow! These
are possible consequences that misjudgment either here or in India
might bring with it.
Sir, I believe I am not going too far when I say that this is almost, if not
quite, the first occasion upon which what is called the British
democracy in its full strength has been brought directly face to face
with the difficulties of Indian Government in all their intricacies, all
their complexities, all their subtleties, and above all in their enormous
magnitude. Last year when I had the honour of addressing the House on
the Indian Budget, I observed, as many have done before me, that it is
one of the most difficult experiments ever tried in human history,
whether you can carry on, what you will have to try to carry on in
India--personal government along with free speech and free right of
public meeting. This which last year was partially a speculative
question, has this year become more or less actual, and that is a
question which I shall by and by have to submit to the House. I want to
set out the case as frankly as I possibly can. I want, if I may say so
without presumption, to take the House into full confidence so far--and
let nobody quarrel with this provision--as public interests allow. I will
beg the House to remember that we do not only hear one another; we
are ourselves this afternoon overheard. Words that may be spoken here,
are overheard in the whole kingdom. They are