Mohandas K. Gandhi

“ Gandhi's statements are correct, does it seem possible that the Indian vote can swamp the European at any period within the range of practical politics. He points out that the existing franchise law, with which the British Indian subjects are content, but which many of the European colonists desire to repeal, provides a property qualification that will at all times exclude the great mass of Indian immigrants from the vote. ”

“ But it answers the argument against allowing British Indian subjects a vote in British colonies on the ground that they have no vote in India. So far as government by voting exists in India, Englishmen and Indians stand on the same footing; and alike in the municipal, the Provincial, and the Supreme Councils the native interests are powerfully represented. Nor does the plea that the British responsibilities of representative government bear inspection. There is probably no other country in the world in which representative institutions have penetrated so deeply into the life of tho people. ”

“ The returns show that even under the existing law it takes a long time for a British-Indian to attain the franchise in Natal. With the exception of 63 British Indians, many of whom started with capital and whose residence in the colony is under ten years, the rest of the 251 voters seem to have resided during more than ten years, and the majority over 14. An analysis of the British-Indian voters' list according to occupation yields equally encouraging results to those who wish to see this question settled. No fewer than 151 are returned as traders on their own account. ”

“ Every caste, every trade, every village in India has for ages its Council of Five which practically legislated for and conducted the administration of the little community which it represented. Until the introduction of the Parish Councils Act last year there was no such rural system of self-administration even in England. ”

“ The elected members of the Supreme and the Legislative Councils, which deal with 221 millions of British subjects, are mainly elected by native bodies Apart from the official representatives of Government in the Supreme and Provincial Legislatures about one half the members are natives. ”

“ May we take this to mean that only two voters in a population of 51,000 British Indians belong to the unskilled labouring class? More than a half of the 251 British-Indian voters are returned as merchants, storekeepers, goldsmiths, and jewellers. ”

“ Of the remaining 100 we find that 34 are clerks, bookkeepers, interpreters, schoolmasters, or photographers; 16 are trade employés, such as salesmen and storemen, including managers; and 48 belong to the class of skilled workers, chiefly gardeners. Only, two of the 251 voters appear as "labourers." ”

“ According to this return, there are in the colony 9,309 European registered voters against 251 registered voters of British Indian origin. The proportion of Indian voters to European voters is 1 to 37—that is to say, the European vote is at present 37 times stronger than the Indian vote. ”