Page:Heroes of the hour- Mahatma Gandhi, Tilak Maharaj, Sir Subramanya Iyer.djvu/267

 there might have been opportunities under a system of a patronising nod of recognition to a people's man in a stifled atmosphere of silent courtesies and customary mimicries. When the Congress was started he was one of the acknowledged representative men of India acknowledged by the people and the Government alike, and presented to the heir-apparent to the Throne as a worthy spokesman on behalf of his countrymen when he was only 33 years old. In spite of all these, his speeches in the first two Congresses shew abundantly that he did not allow his convictions as a patriotic citizen to be in the slightest degree deflected from their strength of feeling or expression by these recognitions of the authorities, nor did he allow his strong feelings on behalf of his country to interfere with his recognition of what was due to them in the way of loyal and cordial co-operation from him whenever it was sought for. In short he was not less of a public man for his co-operation with the Government, nor was that co-operation less sincere because of his ardent public spirit.