Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/194

 below the platform and some of the Nationalists, there- fore, rushed on to the platform to his rescue. Dr. Ghose in the meanwhile twice attempted to read his address but was stopped by cries of * No, No ' from all sides in the Pandal and the confusion became still worse. It was now found impossible to arrest the pro- gress of disorder and the proceedings were then suspen- ded sine die.

Dr. Ghose's speech, though undelivered in the Con- gress Pandal, had been by this time published in the Calcutta papers and telegrams from Calcutta, received in the evening, showed that in the speech he had made an offensive attack on the Nationalist Party. This added to the sensation in the Nationalist Camp that evening but the situation was not such as to preclude all hope of reconciliation. Shrijut Motilal Ghose, Mr. A. C. Mitra, Mr. B. C. Chatterjee and Lala Harkisen Lai tried their best to bring about a compromise and if possible to have the Congress Session revived the next day. They went to Mr. Tilak on the night of the 27th and the morning of the 28th to ascertain the views of his party and to each of them Mr. Tilak gave the following assurance in writing : — SuRAT, 2Sth December, 1907.

Dear Sir ; — With reference to our conversation and principally in the best interests of the Congress, I and my party are prepared to waive our opposition to the election of Dr. Rash Behari as President of the 23rd Indian National Congress, and we are prepared to act in the spirit of forget and forgive provided, firstly the last year's resolutions on Swaraj, Swadeshi, Boycott and National Education are adhered to and each ex-