Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/241

 the Congress was of no value. They were asking for small reforms while Mr. Tilak asked his countrymen to have nothing to do with these. He would make only one demand, viz, that for self-Go vernment within the Empire. The Irish, by resorting to methods of obstruction, have in the course of 30 years, got Home Rule. They must also similarly adopt methods of obstruction within the limits of the law, and then only would they be able to compel the Government to concede their demands."

All this came upon Mr. Gokhale as bolt from the blue. Equally startling to him was the statement of Mr. Tilak's conversation with Mr. Subba Rao. The statement commences thus : —

"The attitude of the Nationalists is generally one of Constitutional Opposition to the Government ; while that of the Moderates is that of Co-operation with the Government. Though the ideal of both is the samej the difference between them lies in the methods adopted by them for reaching the goal."

We leave it to the readers of to-day, to judge whether Mr. Gokhale's change of front could be justified by Mr. Tilak's remarks quoted above. It is interesting to note that this conversation, which so much disappointed Mr. Gokhale occurred on December 8th 1914^ after Mr. Subba Rao to whom was assigned the difficult task of winning over the Bombay City Moderates, had returned quite disappointed from Bombay. Mr. Subba Rao has published in the New India (8th Feb. 1915) a statement in which he said that the Bombay Conven- tionist leaders were dead opposed to the amendment proposed by Mrs. Besant and that " great apprehension