Sri Aurobindo
Karmayogin
Political Writings and Speeches — 1909-1910
Karmayogin: A Weekly Review
Saturday 18th September 1909 — No.13
Facts and Opinions
The Limitations of the Act
There is another point in this connection which destroys the little value that might possibly have attached to the argument from Lord Morley's intentions about local self-government.
One peruses the Act in vain for a guarantee of any measure of reform which may be conceded under it to the people except the number of elected and nominated members in the Councils.
Everything else, literally everything else, is left to the discretion of Anglo-Indian officialdom.
No doubt the present Secretary of State will have the ultimate decision as to the rules of election, nomination, formation of electorates, acceptance or rejection by the Government of elected members, veto, division, interpellation etc., and he may decide to put the felt on thickly and copiously.
But even if this be done, not one of these things will be assured to us, not one of them but may be reversed by subsequent Viceroys and Secretaries of State without infringing the meagre provisions of this Act.
As for local self-government we fail to find any guarantee either for its introduction or, if introduced,— as, no doubt, Lord Morley will have some slight respect even yet for his own reputation,— for its retention in the future.
What is to prevent a future Alexander Mackenzie in the Viceregal seat from so altering any measure that may be given as to render it nugatory and what is to prevent a future Curzon in the India Office from confirming this step rearwards?
So far as we have been able to find, nothing at all.
We are just where we were before, with concessions granted by arbitrary condescension which may be withdrawn at any moment by arbitrary arrogance.
Well may Lord Morley say that this is not a measure of self-government and, if he thought it were, he would not concede the measure.
The Nationalist party is not opposed to all acceptance of reform; it would welcome and support a measure which would really concede even a minimum of control and provide a means for future expansion while perpetually guaranteeing the small amount conceded; but a measure by which no control is given, no step taken is guaranteed as to permanence and no provision is made for future expansion is one which no thinking man 
would care to have even apart from other defects, and no practical politician will look at for a moment when coupled with provisions disastrous to the future of the nation.