EMPIRE 351

this constitutional machinery to that of this country. But the
Briton who wishes to get some idea of how the Indian Constitu-
tion will work, must picture the following alterations in the
British Constitution. Suppose the King to be able to act inde-
pendently of his Ministers on those matters which most vitally
affect order and liberty, and to be subject, in such action, to
instructions from another country; suppose large sections of the
Houses of Lords and Commons to be nominated by a powerful
and wealthy aristocracy, and suppose only one in ten of the people
to possess voting rights. He must further remember the differences
of'race, language, faith and education, which reflect themselves
in the structure of Indian Legislatures. It may be argued that if
India were given complete self-Government, warfare would
break out between her peoples, and the martial nations, such as
those of the North-west would ravage the territories of their
neighbours; that foreign powers would attempt to set up Empires
in India; that even if peace were preserved, the religious
minorities and the depressed classes, would be subject to tyranny;
or that if the franchise were widely extended, the ignorance of
the mass of Indians would make the Government inefficient and
corrupt. Against these evils, the British power claims to be the
protector of India. The soundness, of these arguments is hotly
contested by many sections of Indian opinion, particularly the
Congress party; it is not easy for those who lack close personal
knowledge of India, to judge the case. The present Constitution,
in its anxiety to prevent the Indians from making mistakes,
renders it very difficult to secure future progress in either the
political or economic field.

At the first elections for Provincial Legislatures under the
1935 Act, Congress secured a clear majority in six of the Provinces,
and in three others was the largest party. Congress Ministries
have since been working in somewhat uneasy collaboration with
the. Governors; several disputes have arisen and been settled,
concerning the police, and the release of political prisoners. On
the whole the arrangement has worked more successfully than