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 458 EARLIER INDIAN SPEECHES

stand your breach of the Rowlatt legislation but as a Satyagrahi there is nothing for you in it to break. Hoar can you however break the other laws which you have hitherto obeyed and which may also be good !'* So far as good Jaw3 are concerned, that is, laws which lay down moral principles, the Satyagfrahi may not break them and their breach is not contempleted under the Pledge. But the other laws are neither good nor bad* moral or immoral. They may be useful or may even be harmful. Those laws, one obeys for the supposed good Government of the country. Such laws are laws made for the purpose of revenue, or political laws creating statutory offences. Those la\\s enable the Government to continue its power. When therefore a Government goes wrong to the extent of hurting the National fibre itself, as does the Rowlatt Legislation, it becomes the right of the subject, irdeed it is his duty, to withdraw his obedience to such laws to the extent it may be required in order to bend the Government to the National will. A doubt has been expressed during my tour and my friends have written to me as to the validity in terms of Satyagraha of the entrustment of the selection of the laws for breach to a Committee. For it is argued that it amounts to a surrender of one's cons- cience to leave such selection to others. This doubt misunderstands the Pledge. A signatory of the Pledge undertakes, so far as he is concerned, to break if neces- sary all the laws which it would be lawful for the Satyagrahi to break. It is not however obligatory on him to break all such laws. He can therefote perfectly conscientiously leave the selection of the laws to be broken to the judgment of those who are experts in the matter and who in their turn are necessarily subject to

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