द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

92 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE
The English Judge, Mr. Broomfield, sentenced him to six
years' imprisonment.
The resignation of Mr. Montagu was an indication of the
growing power of the Conservatives in the Coalition Cabinet
of Mr. Lloyd George, the Premier. Under pressure from the
Tory members, Mr. Lloyd George delivered in August his
famous 'steel-frame' speech in which he described the Civil
Service as the steel-frame of the Indian administration
which must remain British, no matter what other changes
may overtake India. This speech caused widespread resent-
ment in India, because people were looking forward to the
day when the power and the emoluments of the Civil Service
would be curtailed and the people given thereby a due place
in the administration of their country. About this time,
Lord Winterton, the new Under-Secretary of State for India,
visited India. One of the purposes of his visit was to herald
a new policy with regard to the Indian Princes and Ruling
Chiefs. The year before, when the Prince of Wales visited
India, he had noticed a great difference between his reception
in British India and in the Indian States. In British India, his
visit had been boycotted by the public, whereas in the States
he had no such unpleasant experience. Since that moment,
the British Government were led to adopt a new attitude
towards the Princes—an attitude of greater friendship and
cordiality. The Princes, on their part, utilised the occasion
for persuading the Government of India to introduce
legislation with a view to suppressing hostile agitation and
propaganda conducted against the Princes from British India.
Accordingly in September 1922, a Bill was introduced in the
Assembly called the Indian States (Protection against Dis-
affection) Bill. The Bill was thrown out by the Assembly
but the Viceroy 'certified' it as urgent and necessary and it
became law. It is noteworthy in this connection that the
new Under-Secretary of State for India, Lord Winterton, in
his conferences with the Viceroy and the Governors of
Bombay, Madras and Bengal, advocated this new attitude
towards the Princes and after his visit, representatives of the
Government of India began to sing praises of the Princes
whenever a suitable opportunity presented itself.