Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/101

 ng an active part in politics. They have no great political aspirations. They come not to be politicians, but to earn an honest bread, and it is a matter for regret if some do not earn it strictly honestly. So, then, it seems that all the fears about the Indian vote assuming portentous proportions are ill-grounded. And even the few votes that the Indians command cannot in any way affect Natal politics. All talk about an Indian party clamouring for Indian representation seems to be chimerical, for the selection would always be between two White men. Would it, then, matter much that there are some Indian votes? The most the few votes can do will be to secure them a perfectly White gentleman, who would, if he is faithful to his promise, do them good service in the Assembly. And fancy one or two such members making up an Indian party! Why, they, or rather he, would be a veritable John1 crying in the wilderness without his electric, and perhaps I should say divine, power of converting. Even strong little parties representing diverse minor interests can effect very little in the Imperial Parliament. They can only heckle the First Lord with a few questions, and have the satisfaction of seeing their names appear in the next morning's papers. Then, you think that they (the Indians) are not civilized enough to be fit for voting; that they may not be any better than the Natives; and that they are certainly not equal to the Europeans in the scale of civilization. Perhaps not. And all would depend upon the meaning of the word "civilization". It is impossible to enter into a full discussion of all the questions suggested by an enquiry into the matter. I may, however, be allowed to point out that they enjoy these privileges in India. The Queen's Proclamation of 1858--which is justly and rightly called the Magna Charta of the Indians--runs:

We hold ourselves bound to the natives of our Indian territories by the same obligations of duty which bind us to all our other subjects, and these obligations by the blessing of Almighty God, we shall faithfully and conscientiously fulfil. It is our further will that, so far as may be, our subjects, of whatever race or creed, be freely and impartially admitted to offices in our service, the duties of which they may be qualified by their education, ability, and integrity, duly to discharge.

I can produce other similar extracts relating to the Indians. But I am afraid I have already trespassed too much upon your courtesy. I may add, however, that an Indian has been the acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Calcutta; an Indian