houses are full of fabrics that can not be sold. In the earlier days of the boycott it was the fashion to assert that depression in piece goods trade was due to this or the other economic cause.
“ Many prominent Marwari[1] Firms have been absolutely ruined and a number of the biggest European import houses have had either to close down their piece goods branch or to put up with a very small business, where they previously had a large one. As for stocks in warehouses, they tend to grow larger, as Marwari and Indian buyers who had given forward orders, now state that they can not afford to take delivery. These facts are now so well known that it is idle to attempt to hide them. Indeed the time has come when all injuries inflicted on trade by boycott should be made fully known. There is no question of encouraging the boycotters, as they need no encouragement. But there is the question of thoroughly awakening the public at home and the Government of India to the fact that in boycott the enemies of the Raj have found a most effective weapon for injuring British interests in the country.”
The triumph of the boycotters was testified to by the following remarks of The Englishman, with which the article ended: “ The question however is, what is the Government going to do about it? Boycott mast not be acquiesced in, or it will more surely ruin British connection with India than an armed revolution[The italics are ours.]
- ↑ Wholesale piece goods merchants belonging to Upper India are known in Calcutta by that name.
