As our readers know, we were not entirely satisfied with
this plan of watching and waiting, with the possibility that in 1929 there might be a dangerous void with nothing ready to be put into it. It is true that Lord Birkenhead invited the Indian leaders to make proposals to the British Government if they wished to do so. But he did not say in advance what the British attitude would be towards such schemes as the Swarajists are known to have in mind. It would have been better, we think, if Lord Birkenhead, when expressing British willingness to consider Indian proposals, had stated explicitly certain principles which we should have to regard as indispensable for the maintenance of the Central Government and for the preservation of peace. For our part, so long as the indispensable reservations were made, we should be willing to consider an extremely wide measure of Indian self-goVernment under a Federal Constitution for all India. We must admit now, however, that if the Indians prefer to continue under the Chelmsford-Montagu reforms and show a genuine desire to make the system work, it will be unnecessary to consider any new proposals.
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