Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/189

 FAREWELL SPEECH AT JOHANNESBUBG 99 the colour disability. The practice would certainly be diderent. There was the Immigration Law. It re- cognised no racial distinctions, but in practice they had arranged, they had given a promise, that there should be no undue influx from India as to immigration, That was a concession to present prejudice. Whether it was right or wrong was not for him to discuss then, But it was the establishment of the principle which had made the struggle so important in the British Empire, and the establishment of that principle which had made those sutferings perfectly justifiable and per- fectly honourable, and he thought that, when they considered the struggle from that standpoint, it was a perfectly dignified thing for any gathering to con- gratulate itself upon such a vindication of the principles of the British Constitution. One word of caution he wished to utter regarding the settlement. The settle. ment was honourable to both parties. He did not think there was any room left for misunderstanding, but whilst it was final in the sense that it closed the great struggle, it was not final in the sense that it gave to Indians all that they were entitled to. There was still the Gold Law which had many a sting in it. There was still the Licensing Laws throughout the Union, which also con- tained many a sting. There was still a matter which the Colonial-born Indians especially could not understand or appreciate, namely, the water·tight compartments in which they had to live; whilst there was absolutely free inter·communication and inter·migration between the Provinces for Europeans, Indians had to be cooped upin their respective Provinces. Then there was undue restraint on their trading activity. There was the prohibition as to holding landed property in the