Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/607

 hold that, without the advent of the spirit of civility and orderliness, the disobedience would have taken a much more violent form than it did even at Delhi. It was only the wonderfully quick acceptance by the people of the prin- ciple of Satyagrah that effectively checked the spread of violence throughout the length and breadth of India. And even to-day it is not the memory of the black barbirity of General Dyer that is keeping the undoubted restlessness among the people from breaking forth into violence. The hold that Satyagrah has gained on the people it mty be evqn against their will is curbing the forces of disorder and violence. But I must not detain the reader on a defence of Satyagrah against unjust attacks. If it has gained a foot- hold in India, it will survive much fiercer attacks than the one made by the majority of the Hunter Cpmmittee ani somewhat supported by the minority. Had the majority report been defective only in this direction and correct IB every other there would have been nothing but praise for it. After all Satyagrah is a new experiment in political field. And a hasty attributing to it of any popular disorder would have been pardonable.

The universally pronounced adverse judgment upon the report and the despatches rests upon far more painful reve- lations. Look at the manifestly laboured defence; of every official act of inhumanity except where condemnation could not be avoided through the impudent admissions made by the actors themselves ; look at the special pleading intro- duced to defend General Dyer evqn against himself ; look at the vain glorification of Sir Michael O'D*ryer although it was his spirit that actuated every act of criminality on che part of the subordinates ; look at the deliberate refusal to examine his wild career before the events of April. His -acts were an open book of which the committee ought to

�� �