Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/211

 at Dhulia, under the Presidentship of the late Mr. Daji Abaji Khare. The Convention Committee appointed by the Moderates at Surat was to meet at Allahabad in the Easter Holidays; and it was the earnest wish of many that the Bombay Conference should be held before the Easter. But to suit the convenience of the President, it was decided to be held after the Easter. At the eleventh hour, however, Mr. Khare refused to preside, and his place was filled by the late Hon. Mr. G. V. Joshi. Before, however, the Conference could meet, the Convention Committee held its sittings at Allahabad and passed certain rules and re- gulations which were not likely to commend themselves to the Nationalists. The work of Congress compromise thus became more difficult than ever, but with his usual optimism, Mr. Tilak refused to be discouraged. The Dhulia conference commenced its sittings on April 17th. Resolutions on Swadeshi, Boycott, and National Education were passed. To the last two Resolutions there was in the Conference a slight opposition. The resolution appointing a Committee to bring about Congress Compromise was moved by Mr. Tilak; speaking to this resolution he declared how suicidal it would be to leave out of the Congress any party pledged to peaceful and "constitutional" methods, only because that party preached independence.

It is not impossible that the Congress Compromise on which Mr. Tilak had set his heart, would have been an accomplished fact long ago, had not the whole political atmosphere been suddenly changed for the worse by the unexpected appearance of the bomb. On April 30th, a bomb intended for Mr. Kingsford, Sessions