Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/242

 was felt that the Congress would be running a great risk if Mr. Tilak and his followers came in/' This then was the real cause of the failure of the compromise negotiations. For it was not to be expected that Mr. Gokhale would now continue to support the proposed amendment of the Constitution, though it was originally drafted by him.

The Report of the Committee appointed at Madras to consider the question of the Congress-Compromise was discussed at the next session of the Congress at Bombay and a partially satisfactory solution was arrived at. " Public meetings convened under the auspices of any association, which is not of less than two yeeirs standing on 31st December 19 15 and which has for one of its objects, the attainment of Self-Go vemment by India on Colonial lines within the British Empire by Constitutional means " were allowed and as Mr. Tilak's party could now send delegates to the Congress without looking up to the Moderates for patronage and support he decided to accept whole-heartedly the grudging and halting concession. It was high time. A new genera- tion of Nationalists, willing and eager to sink all differ- ences, had arisen. The great European War had altered the whole outlook of the Nation. A demand for a substantial instalment of Self-government was to be formulated. It had to be backed up by the strength of United India. Under these circumstances Mr. Tilak was not the man to emphasize his differences with his erring and timid fellow-countrymen. As early as January 1916, he publicly announced the willingness of his party to forget the past and re-enter the Congress through the partially opened door.