From the Archives (February 18, 1922): The debate of India

Allahabad, Feb. 17: In noticing the debate in Parliament the “Englishman” says that Mr. Montagu and his friends had started to awaken the masses in India to a sense of politics which resulted in meaningless strikes, agrarian riots, mob outrages, and dislocation of trade, which, unless stopped, will involve India in ruin greater than that of Russia. In a crisis Government is justified in adopting the method of Executive orders which place expediency before legality. It should be made plain that the old Roman maxim about the safety of Republic being the first law is based on the correct understanding of the responsibilities of an administration. The “Statesman” observes that Mr. Montagu was either unable or unwilling to give Parliament any adequate account of the non-cooperation movement. Neither Mr. Montagu nor Mr. Lloyd George appear to have bestowed any serious thought on the means by which the British authority is to be maintained.