Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/576

 NON-CO-OPERATION

danger to society. They never had committed any crimes before. Most of them were regarded as respectable and orderly citizens. They were not known to belong to any revolutionary society. If they committed any crimes at all, they were committed only under the impulse of the moment and under what to them was grave provocation. Moreover, the public believe that the majority of the convictions by the Martial Law Tribunals were unsupported by any good evidence. I, therefore, hope that the Government, which have so far been doing well in discharging political offenders even when they were caught in the act, will not hesitate to release these appellants, and thus earn the good will of the whole of India. It is an act of generosity done in the hour of tiiumph which is the most effective. And in the popular opinion this dismissal of the appeal has been fegarded as a triumph for the Government.

1 would respectfully plead with the Punjab friends not to lose heart. We must calmly prepare ourselves for the worst. If the convictions are good, if the men convicted have been guilty of murders or incitements to murder, why should they escape punishment ? If they have not com- mitted these crimes as we believe most at least have not, why should we escape the usual fate of all who are trying to rise a step higher ? Why should we fear the sacrifice i we would rise ? No nations have ever risen without sacrifice and sacrifice can only he spoken of in connection with innocence and not with crime.

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