Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/183

 nominating the President of the forthcoming Congress to the Reception Commitee which by a majority of ¾ had to select the President. It was, therefore, natural that the Moderates and the Nationalists should try to secure greater representation for their Parties on the Reception Committee. Each party tried its level best to secure a majority and on September 1st, it was found that while the Moderates had secured 800 Members, the Nationalists had got about 1800. Finding that Mr. Tilak could not be elected President, the Nationalist gave in only 26 names with-holding the long list of 1800 together with the money (Rs. 45,000) collected at the rate of Rs. 25 per voter. The Moderates demanded this money and on the Nationalists refusing to give it, they proceeded to eject the Nationalist Members from the Executive Committee. This they had no right to do as the Executive Committee was already constituted months back. The Hon. Mr. Chitnavis called a meeting of the Reception Committee without consulting the Executive Committee or Dr. Munje, the joint General Secretary. The meeting (September 22nd, 1907) was a fiasco and the Hon. convener was the object of a hostile demonstration on the part of an angry mob. A compromise was attempted. Dr. Gour, himself a Moderate, proposed that the work of the Congress should begin with Rs. 20,000 collected by the Moderates from the 800 enlisted members of the Reception Committee together with a loan of Rs. 5,000 from each party. The Moderates were obstinate. They were unwilling to allow the NationaUsts single-handed to hold the Congress Session at Nagpur; they were unable or afraid to hold it themselves; they, therefore, did the easiest