Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/161

 THE SOLOMON COMMISSION 7]. prepared to lead evidence before Sir William Solomon alone if it was a question merely of enquiring into the charges of flogging, acts of military and other ill·¤reat- ment, but this inquiry includes an examination of griev- ances also. Before our release, public meetings had been held at all Indian centres throughout Sauth Africa protesting strongly against the personnel of the Com- mission and urging the appointment of Mr. Schreiner and Judge Rose-Innes to ccunterbalance Messrs. Esselen and Wylie, Immediately on our release, as soon as we took the situation in, we addressed a letter to the Ministry asking for these additions to the Commission. Objection has been taken to the form in which this reouest was put forward by us, but we are confronted with a terrible crisis and it is not easy always to weigh carefully the niceties of form at such ·» juncture. The Indian position has always been to ii>¤i¤‘ on the com- munity being consulted at least informally regarding matters vitally affecting it since it is voteless. In the constitution of the present Commission, Indian sentiment not only was not consulted but was contemptuously trampled on. During the recent dead- lock in connection with the European railwaymen’s grievances, the men were permitted to choose their nominee by a referendum. We merely asked for infor- mal consultation when we were released. We found that the indignation of our countrymen was at white heat owing tofinggings which had been seen with their own eyes, shooting which they believed to be unjustified and other acts of ill·treatment, and this indig- nation was further intensified bythe harrowing accounts of prison treatment which the passive resisters includ- ing ladies who were released at this time on the expiry