The following is a shortened version of a speech given by Mahatma Gandhi, a leader in the fight for freedom for the people of India.
1. After the Great War, it is difficult to point out a single nation that is happy. But, this is because of the war, and every nation other than India is either free or striving to be free.
2. It is said that we in India are on the road to freedom. It is said that it is better to be on the slow road to freedom than to take the path of revolution. And, that the new laws are a step toward freedom.
3. The new laws in India keep all the spending decisions outside the control of the people. What does this mean? It means that the money of India is spent on what the people do not want. This is a clear danger to our country.
4. The new laws give no hope for cutting back our expenses. And so there is no hope of help for the people except in raising taxes. And the burden of tax on the poor is already too heavy.
5. The new laws keep all the rights of the people completely under government restraint. All those laws which give total power to the government still stand. In spite of the tragic price paid by the people who fought for their freedom, we stand just where we were before, at the mercy of the government for our basic rights.
6. Not only is the government still in control, but terrible crimes have been committed against the people. These have been encouraged and left unpunished. The whole government has been taken up in a spirit of cruelty.
