§ Mr. MACKARNESSasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the Secretary of State has yet received any official information with regard to the speech of the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal last week, foreshadowing the introduction of repressive measures; and, if so, can he state what was the reason of his making the speech?
The MASTER of ELIBANKThe Secretary of State does not think it part of his duty to exercise a censorship over the language used by a lieutenant-governor in warning his own province of the dangers of lawlessness and violence. The Secretary of State understands that Sir Edward Baker, in the speech to which the hon. Member refers, laid stress on the fact that though the Indian Press and public had denounced outrages, more was required in the shape of active assistance to Government by the public, by parents and guardians, by those in charge in education, and by the student community itself. If those 254 classes failed to realise their responsibility and abdicated their authority in favour of a handful of young men with undisciplined emotions, he pointed out that, though a solution would undoubtedly come, it would be full of pain and difficulty as to distinguishing the innocent from the guilty; and he went on to warn his hearers of the chaos that must follow the success of continued outrages. This warning seems to be both timely and sensible.
§ Mr. MACKARNESSMay I ask my hon. Friend whether the speech was meant to foreshadow repressive measures, and, if so, what the measures are?
The MASTER of ELIBANKMy hon. Friend the Member for East Nottingham (Sir Henry Cotton) has a question relating to the subject down for Thursday next, and I prefer to postpone any statement till then.
§ Mr. SMEATONIs it not the case that Sir Edward Baker has always been one of the foremost Indian reformers?