India and the Act
Now that the Government of India Act is on the Statute-boOk political opinion in India is developing as • might be expected and 'hoped. The great question is whether the Congress Party, still much the 'strongest organized political' body in the country, will encourage its members to take office in the Central and Provincial legislatures. That they will enter the legislatures is already decided. Office has obVious attractions to any party, and it will be surprising if in the end a self-denying ordinance •• is • either imposed or observed. The Federal Government can, of course, only come into being when the requisite number of Princes decide to co-operate, but prospects in that direction, too, seem hopeful, parti- cularly since the Congress Party's Press is repudiating all intention of interference in the internal affairs of the States. The circulation to the Princes of the favourable report by Mr. Wilfrid Greene on the changes made in the Act at the instance of the Princes will smooth the path considerably. Another encouraging sign is the appeal made on Tuesday by the well-known Bombay mill-owner, Mr. H. P. Mody, to Indian Liberals to join wholeheartedly with all who are ready to work the reform scheme sin- cerely and give it a fair chance. There is some danger that British correspondents in , India may pay rather more attention to hopeful than to discouraging omens, but even so there is good ground for confidence.
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