Indian Constitutional Reforms: First Despatch on Indian Constitutional Reforms

Abstract

We have the honour to lay before you our views upon the important questions raised in the Report on Indian conintroductory. stitutional reforms, dated April 22,1918, by His Excellency the Viceroy and yourself The Report itself ws.s published in India on July 8, 1918: and you will expect us to give you as clear an Reception of the Re- . impression as wc can of its reception: The non- ^ ' official European community some time to form their opinions on proposals so intricate and so far-reaching. Indian opinion declared itself more rapidly, and from the first there ensued a clear division between the moderate and the extreme political parties. The former declared definitely for the Report, with certain reservations ; \ the latter against it. The strongest expression of the latter view occurred in a letter published even before iihe Report ^appeared, urging that anything which originates with foreigners should be rejected as violating the priflciple of self-determination. The most advanced Bengal politicians adopted an attitude of uncompromising opposition. In Madras the rccognised leaders of the advanced party had some difficulty in preventing the special conference which was held to consider the proposals from taking the same line. But the more responsible section of the party declared that, while the proposals were disappointing and unsatisfactory and required radical modifications before they could be held to constitute any substantial step towards responsible government, effort should be concentrated on obtaining such modifications rather than .on the wholesale rejection of the scheme. The attitude of the moderate ' party, which we believe includes the ablest and most respected Indian opinion, was far more favourable to'tho Report. They welcomed its proposals as a real and substantial step towards the progressive realisation of responsible government in the provinces, and tho modifications which they urged were, with .tlie exception of those affecting the Government of India, concerned with the details rather than the essentials of the scheme. Opinion of this sort is fairly represented by the resolutions recorded by the majority of the non-official members of the Indian Legislative Council, of which we attach a copy. The independent lme adopted by the moderates had for some time a restraining influence on the other party. '.The tendency which had at first been-apparent to flout temperate opinion gave place to a desire for conciliation; and at the last moment efforts were made to induce the m.oderates to attend the special congress held at Bombay towards'the end of August to Consider the proposals. These efforts failed, but tho abstention of.the majority of moderates was not without effect. The leaders of the special congress made an appeal to moderates throughout the country to rally to the national association. There was no talk of rejecting the reform proposals. They were still declared, as you will gather from the summary of the resolutions which we append, to be disappointing and unsatisfactory; but the general decision was that with somewhat radical alterations they could be accepted as forming a substantial step towards responsible government. The change of tone did not persuade tho moderates to_ come in, and they held a conference of their own .at Bombay early in November. The .resolutions passed by it will be found among the enclosures. The' last of this series of meetings was the ordinary session of the Congress/which met at D_elhLin December. The spirit of toleration \Vas no longer in the ascendant and in spite of all efforts to the contrary the most radical elements of the extreme party threw over most of their recognised leaders, and advanced claims far beyond any made at Bombay by demanding the grant of full responsible government in the provinces at once. We attach a copy of the resolutions passed. 3. Thus it may be said that while'the most vocal sections of Indian Indian opinion - opinion unite in'claiming a farther advance than • ' has been proposed in the Report, there are between the attitude of the moderates and that of the more extreme politicians marked differences which we shall now explain.