"I do not now make any comment upon the mode in which this country has been put into possession of India. I accept that possession as a fact. There we are; we do not know how to leave it, and therefore let us see if we know how to govern it. It is a problem such as, perhaps, no other nation has had to solve. Let us see whether there is enough of intelligence and virtue in England to solve the difficulty. In the first place, then, I say, let us abandon all that system of calumny against the Natives of India which has lately prevailed. Had that people not been docile, the most governable race in the world, how could you have maintained your power for 100 years? Are they not industrious, are they not intelligent, are they not—upon the evidence of the most distinguished men the Indian Service ever produced—endowed with many qualities which make them respected by all Englishmen who mix with them? I have heard that from many men of the widest experience, and have read the same in the works of some of the best writers upon India. Then let us not have these constant calumnies against such a people."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Speech in the House of Commons (24 June 1858)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Bright
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
John Bright
John Bright (November 16, 1811 – March 27, 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies.
90 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by John Bright →
Related Quotes
"To the Working Men of Rochdale: A deep sympathy with you in your present circumstances induces me to address you. Lis…"
"I do not see that it is possible, nor can I discover that it would be right, for me now to withdraw from the cause in…"
"I believe that the intelligence of the people in Scotland is superior to the intelligence of the people in England. I…"
"The Corn Law is as great a robbery of the man who follows the plough as it is of him who minds the loom...If there be…"
"Rich and great people can take care of themselves; but the poor and defenceless—the men with small cottages and large…"
"I am amused to find the fuss our Darlington friends and relatives are making about the Education Bill. Edward Pease, …"
"I am a working man as much as you. My father was as poor as any man in this crowd. He was of your own body, entirely.…"
"If a man have three or four children, he has just three or four times as much interest in having the Corn Laws abolis…"
"Going into the House last night, the caution lately given me by a poor but honest Scotchman struck me. He said to me,…"
"As to the Income Tax, my opinion is that the needful revenue would be fairly and most fairly raised if paid by proper…"