The latest attack of the Madras Government upon the liberty of the Press is in declaring the forfeiture of the security deposited by the Tamil Daily, the Desabhaktan, in Madras. The order has been made under section 4 (1) of the Indian Press Act, and the articles upon which action has been taken were published in the paper on the 24th June 1918, 28th June 1918, 4th July 1918 and 20th November 1918. That articles which appeared seven months before now should have been availed of to put into operation the drastic provisions of the Press Act is a very significant circumstance. If they were of such an inflammable nature as the present action of the Government implies, the officials of the Government must have been sleeping at their post of duty. We have perused those three articles as well as the one published on the 20th November 1918, and they are such as a journalist imbued with a proper sense of duty would feel justified in writing.
