THE INDIAN SITUATION

England is finding trouble with her possessions a sort of hydra; no sooner does she cut off one head of rebellion than another rises, halfway across the world. The worst difficulty she has to cope with at present seems to be centered in India, where the Commander-in-Chief has admitted that the "garrison is none too large" and that England's "ability to keep order may be tested at any time."

It is chiefly to Lord Montagu, the ex-Secretary of State for India, that the newspapers owe the recent revelation of the state of affairs in that province--a state of affairs hitherto concealed rather carefully. It appears that Montagu, regarding the Moslem element as the dominating force in India, published a few days ago a memorandum of the Indian Government which explained the demands made by the Kaliphat, or Moslem movement; including the restoration to the Turk of Constantinople, Thrace, and Smyrna, and the submission of the holy places of Islam--Jerusalem and Mecca--to the authority of the Sultan. The publication of such demands just before the Near East Conference to discuss Turkey's position was regarded all over England as a grave diplomatic blunder; and the demands themselves were looked on as an attempt to coerce the British government by a minority of its subjects. Accordingly, Montagu's resignation was demanded immediately. His successor will in all probability be Lord Derby, who, as a conservative, is in favor of force to quell rebellion and retain English power.

In India itself meanwhile, there is a considerable element of uneasiness that borders in places on open revolt. The recently arrested Hindu leader, Gandhi, has steadfastly opposed strife, but he has sowed the wind and found himself unable to control the whirlwind. For his followers, contrary to his commands, have started riots, burned English goods to show devotion to those native made, and have even boycotted the Prince of Wales. Added to this, the Mohammedans, under the leadership of the Ali brothers, have strengthened the strange alliance of Moslem and Hindu, and now seem to be using this power in an attempt to realize all the Turkish dreams.

Thus England stands between two fires. To refuse to heed the Mohammedan demands means revolt in India and perhaps in Egypt as well. Yet to comply with them would cause the breaking of promises made to Jews and Arabs as to Jerusalem and Mecca, and the return of the Sultan to Constantinople. It would further entail recognition of the power of the Moslem in a British dominion, as well as the relinquishing of India to confusion. For the Hindus are not yet ready for complete self-rule, despite the great extension of powers granted them through an Indianized civil service, representation in the League of Nations, and equality with other dominions. Then, too, it would seem, from the evidence available, that after all it is the Moslem, and not the Hindu, who is the real evil genius of the whole difficulty. Perhaps the only way out of this curious tangle lies in a temporary resort to force, together with a defiance of Mohammedan threats. At all events, this is almost certain to be the policy if a conservative takes Montagu's place in the British Cabinet.