INDIA FOUNDATION OF ENGLISH FOREIGN POLICY DURING LAST 20 YEARS

"The problem of India is one not only of her own freedom, but of the freedom of all the nations of the East," declared Mr. Taraknath Das, when interviewed recently by a CRIMSON reporter. Mr. Das, himself a native of India, spoke recently about his country and its relations with England to the Student Liberal Club.

"England's imperialist policy," he went on to say, "includes the economic control of a chain of Eastern countries extending from Egypt to southern china, and India is the strongest force in holding the chain together. Once India has broken loose, as she will in time, the rest of the nations under English control will be free to carry out their own destinies, for, without India, England cannot keep her domination over the East."

"The English foreign policy largely determined by India. Every great war within the last 20 years has had its India angle. The economic life of the British isles in bound up with the India trade, because India has been made dependent upon England for her manufactured goods. It is this Indian trade which has given England a large part of her present manufacturing strength. The 14 percent tax which has been placed on all manufacturing machinery brought into India is a striking proof of England's desire and need for a monopoly. Ghandi had two and half million spinning wheels manufactured and distributed throughout India,, this cutting off most of the English monopoly on cloth. It is only necessary to look at the unemployment situation today in Manchester, Birmingham, and the other great English mill towns, to understand the economic importance of India to England.

Ghandi Desire Home Rule

"Ghandi," he went on, "does not demand complete independence for his country, but merely home rule. He wants England to redress the wrongs which she has done, and to refrain from using Indian troops in foreign wars. Contrary to the popular notion, he does not favor violence as a means to his end. His own words are" 'I would rather give up may plans than use violence, because if violence is necessary, the time for Indian freedom is not yet here'. That, of course, is not the attitude of all India, but it is the felling of the great many. Because Ghana objected to the English use of Indian soldiers in foreign wares, he is quite commonly considered as a pacifist. Nothing could be further from the truth. He merely does not want to see his country men used to extend English domination over other countries. 'If India should be attacked,' he say, 'no one would advocate enlistment in the army sooner than I, but when it means subjecting other countries to English rule, I do object.' That is the feeling of Ghana on the subject, but, of course, that view must not be confused with sentiment of everyone for there are all shades of political feeling in India.

independence Inevitable

Ghandi advocates, not complete independence, but merely home-rule, but I believe that independence is inevitable. If India gets home-rule she will then be in a position to take complete freedom whenever she wants it Now, English statesmen know home necessary India is to England in an economic way and as the most important link in the British chain of dominions, and they would therefore govern their policy so as the prevent India from breaking away. In other words, English foreign policy would be controlled by India. For this reason, England will not give home-rule if she can avoid dogie so, and will fight bitterly all Indian attempts to gain it. At last, the day will come when India will rise as one man, overthrow the British domination, and set up a United States of India, with a republican government. That day will bring success to the cause of the India people it may not come today,--it may not come tomorrow, but it is inevitable."