Page:A General Biography of Bengal Celebrities Vol 1.djvu/58

HtS VISIT TO ENGLAND IN 1888. 49 some CoiShty Court Judges iu Ireland had enhanced the senten- ces on appeal. There was a tremendous outburst (cheers), and the result was that even Mr, Balfour was obliged to send instruc- tions to his County Court Judges not to enhance sentences on appeal. (Cheers.) But a thing like this goes on in India almost every day. The people cry aloud against it, but there is no body to pay heed to their cry. ("Shame.") . The way in which legis- lation is conducted in India is such that if I gave you instances you would cry " Shame. " This very Sir James Fitzjames Stephen passed what is called the Evidence Act for India. Ib is the substance of Pitt Taylor's book boiled down considerably. Well, one clause he has introduced is that at a criminal trial the previous conviction of any prisoner may be given in evi- dence at any stage. That is to say in the year of grace 1888 a man is charged with picking another person's pocket. YOU MAY GIVE EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM that in 1830 he was guilty of bigamy. (Laughter.) And what do you think is the reason given for this ? Sir James Fitzjames Stephen says in his report to the Legislative Council : "It is, said that evidence of this description may prejudice the priso- ner. My answer is that if the prisoner is guilty" — mark the logio — " if the prisoner is guilty I do not see why he should not be prejudiced, the object of giving evidence against a man being to show whether he is guilty or not" And laws of this description have been passed, people have protested, but there is no heed paid to these protests. Representative institutions and other things which go to make up a civilised country only exist for the happiness and well-being of the people. If without) giving us representative institutions, you can discover some- thing by whioh the people will be able to lead a happy and contented life, have all their aspirations, humanly speaking, satisfied, I am perfectly certain that my countrymen would rejoice at the idea, but at present, no one has been able to discover anything better than such institutions as are possessed* 7