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 considerations over the National. It was at this criti- cal time that Mr. Tilak threw the whole weight of his advice and influence over to the side of the Muslims^ and secured their lasting co-operation.

In criticising (October 1916), the " Memorandum of 19 " Mr. Tilak had said that the demand made therein was pretty well so far as it went but that it was neces- sary that the succeeding instalments of Self-government should be definitely determined and announced toge- ther with the time-limit for complete realization of all our aspirations. He tried his best to press the inclu- sion of this limit in the resolution of Self-Government. The Hon'ble Mr. Shastri also was of opinion that we should not " hesitate to demand that Responsible Government should be worked up to in the course of the next thirty years." But the stalwarts of the Con- gress did not favcur this view and for the sake of unity Mr. Tilak, dropped the matter. The Congress of 19 17 made good this mistake and included a definite time- limit in the resolution of Swaraj.

For the sake of unity, Mr. Tilak allowed his scheme of a small and compact Congress Executive to be shel- ved. The All-India Congress Committee, the tim.e- honoured Executive of the Congress was found to be quite unwieldy and the new body proposed by Mr. Tilak was merely a supplem.entary body and never aimed at usurping the functions of the old one. Doubt- less, Mr. Tilak took his cue from the War-Cabinet of three or four members which Mr. Lloyd George institu- ted in order to save the inevitable delays of the Cabinet When we remember that even Mr. Lloyd Goerge in times of extreme emergency and national peril could