Gokhale and Economic Reforms

Gokhale's speeches in the Viceroy's Council 1 had been often struck with the persistence the patience the knowledge the earnesness and the eloquence with which he urged from year to year upon the attention of Government several financial and economic reforms calculated to promote the material and moral well-being of the people of India. [...] 9 one is struck with the record of the active work the Sabha did its memorials to Government the correpondence it carried on with the officials on the Tietions of the day and its discussion of the various.administrative and legislative measures which affeced the interests of the public. [...] In i886 at the time of the impostion of the income-tax Sir A. Colvin and Lord Dufferin had pleaded against increasing the burdens of the mass of the population and in favour of taxing the rich and the well-to-do. [...] Gokhale went on to demonstrate the truth of this statement and in a touching peroration drew a vivid picture of the misery of the mass of the people affected by the enhancement of the salt dray. [...] Writing to the India Office in i886 the Treasury observed :— It is impossible to regard this question from the point of view either of the Indian exchequer or of the Anglo-Indian official without a corresponding regard to the general effect of the fall in the gold price of silver upon the trade and properity of the great mass of the population." The Treasury seem to have accepted the general