Page:Forty Thousand Followers of Gandhi in Prison.djvu/19

 controlling the commercial policy, that she is determined not to let us get the right of governing ourselves.

It follows, therefore, that our first object, if we would overcome the opposition of the English government to our right to rule ourselves, ought to be to remove the temptation that is before her, and demonstrate once for all, that India is no longer going to let herself be exploited of her resources. If we were to adopt Khaddar and bring about a complete boycott of foreign cloth save about 600 million rupees ($200,000,000) from going out of India annually to enrich England. This would be an indisputable proof that we have made up our minds to be no longer mere hewers of wood and drawers of water.

Our battle half won.

That is why the day that the whole of India is clad in khaddar and the import of foreign cloth ceases absolutely, that day will usher in Self Rule. To achieve the boycott we will have to be quite united and all the communities in India will have to work hand in hand and this common effort will promote our unity as nothing else will. This is the political significance of the khaddar movement and who can deny, that apart from its economic aspects, it has a political side to it of greater potency?

'''Both economically and politically, the propaganda of khaddar is the soundest weapon we have got in our armoury, and we would be unwise if we did not make the most of this. In the last 18 months we have achieved a great deal and the import of foreign cloth into this country has declined by over 50 per cent'''.

Our battle is more than half won. Let us persevere and victory will be ours.