The Maharaja should become a model ruler. | We are all anxious that Your Highness should become one of the best Ruling Princes of India, that Your Highness should become a truly model prince, an example to future princes and a source of pride to the Native community. This is the earnest wish of the great British GovernÂment, which has a right to expect good government in Native States. It is likewise the wish of your numerous friends and well-wishers. It is the wish of the large body of people who are the subjects of this important State. In short, such is the universal wish. |
A splendid opportunity of doing good. | (2) I feel perfectly certain that such is your own wish also. God has given you a splendid opportunity of doing public good and of achieving high honour and distinction yourself. I trust that the future history of Baroda will record the fact that Your Highness made the best possible use of that opportunity. |
The Maharaja must work. | (3) It is not, however, enough to merely wish to become one of the best Ruling Princes of India. The mere wish cannot realise itself. You have to work for itâyou have to take pains to accomplish that wish. It cannot be a difficult task to one of Your Highnessâ intelligence and earnestness. |
A few principles recognised by all good governments. | (4) It is now my privilege and duty to lay before Your Highness a series of fundamental principles, the due observance of which will enable you to become one of the best Ruling Princes of India. These are great principles recognised by all good Governments. It will not be enough that you learn those principles. You must understand and digest them. Further, you must keep them constantly before you, and practically follow their guidance in every act of administration. If you simply learn those principles, but neglect to give effect to them in daily life, it would be quite as foolish as, and it would be more culpable than, a navigator possessing himself of a good marinerâs compass, but not looking at it in steering his vessel. |
Old-school objections. | (5) Some persons of the old school might possibly say: âWhy should the present Gaekwar learn and follow those principles? The preceding Gaekwars did not do so, and yet they managed to govern this State. The present Gaekwar may do just as they did.â |
The old days and the new. | (6) But let me frankly tell Your Highness that the preceding Gaekwars were hardly among the best Ruling Princes. They governed in the old arbitrary Asiatic fashion. They did not pay much regard to the happiness of the people, and, even if they did pay some regard, they did not know the best way of promoting that happiness. Sometimes they made great errors. Occasionally they got involved in serious difficulties. Some narrowly escaped dethronement. And Your Highness well knows of the sad fate which overwhelmed Malhar Rao. All this could have been avoided if those Gaekwars had learnt and observed right principles. The former Gaekwars, however, were not so fortunate as to have the opportunity of learning those principles as Your Highness now has. This is not all. Times and circumstances have undergone a great change. Formerly bad government in Baroda did not attract much attention, as Baroda was then an out-of-the-way place. But nowadays Baroda has rapid railway communication with Bombay and with other important centres, both north and south. Everything that takes place in Baroda territories becomes widely and quickly known. |
How misgovernment might affect outsiders. | (7) Again, in consequence of railway communication, the outside people come into Baroda territories oftener and in larger numbers. And misgovernment in these territories would therefore affect such people more than before and would be a matter of louder outcry. |
The natural desire of the people to compare. | (8) Again, our own people have close and more frequent intercourse with Bombay and other centres. They thus have far better opportunities to compare the Government under which they live with that under which their neighbours live. |
A higher ideal of government. | (9) Again, in consequence of the progress of intelligence and education, our own people have now a higher ideal of good government than before. What bad government they tolerated in past times, they would not tolerate now. What little (good) government satisfied them in past times would not satisfy them now. |
Progress with the times. | (10) Again, formerly almost all Native States were misgoverned more or less; and even British territories were in a backward condition. But now there is good progress all round, though in different degrees. The consequence is that, if we do not also fairly advance, the fact would become marked and would cause dissatisfaction. |
The British Government more sensitive to misgovernment in States. | (11) And lastly, it should be noted that the British Government, as the paramount power in India, is nowadays more sensitive to misgovernment in Native States than before. The British Government holds itself responsible to prevent gross misgovernment in Native States. In effect, the British Government says to each Native Prince: âFormerly, if you grossly maladministered your territories, a nativial remedy came into operation, namely, your subjects rose in rebellion and put an end to the tyranny. The fear of such a contingency acted as a check upon misgovernment. But now we do not and we should not permit the violent remedy of rebellion on the part of your people. We have undertaken to put down any such rebellion by employing our military force whenever necessary. We have thus deprived the people of the power of correcting tyranny. But tyranny must be corrected. Who is to correct it? We, the paramount power in India, have undertaken this duty on behalf of the people. When, therefore, the people complain of gross misgovernment in a Native State, we, the British Government, will enquire into the matter, and set it right. If found necessary, we, the British Government, will even depose the misgoverning prince and place another on the gaddi of the State.â |
Illustration from history. | (12) Such is the reasoning of the paramount power. It has much force and justice in it. Every Native Prince must bear in mind the fact that such is the reasoning of the great paramount power which completely holds India from Cape Comorin to the Himalayas. The deposition of Maharaja Malhar Rao here in Baroda itself is a recent illustration of such reasoning. History furnishes other illustrations. |
Govern well. | (13) It follows, then, that the paramount power has become an important judge as to good government and bad government in the Native States. We, in Native States, must not overlook this great fact. We must constantly take care that the British Government is fairly satisfied that we are governing wellâthat, at least, we are not misgoverning. |
Study what is good and what is bad government. | (14) Hence, it further follows that we should study what the British Government would consider good and what bad government. We should study the fundamental principles recognised by the British Government itself. |
We must be more careful in these days. | (15) Your Highness will thus see how times, conditions, and circumstances have changedâhow we, in our days, have to be much more careful in the work of government than former Gaekwars were. Hence the absolute necessity of this preliminary special preparation, on the part of Your Highness, for the great and responsible duties which will devolve on you before long. |
The first duty of the ruler is to promote the happiness of the people | (16) I will now proceed to lay before you some of those great fundamental principles which are essential to good government. I beg your most earnest attention to them, because I feel sure that by your b... |
