Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/264



At the meeting (July 28th and 29th) of the All- India Congress Committee, Mr. Tilak's voice reigned supreme. He expressed his gratification at the united and strong protest made by the people against the internment of Mrs. Besant. He heartily thanked those of the Moder- ates who, at the call of duty, stood by Mrs. Besant and the infant Home Rule Leagues. But he was not content merely with the protest, howsoever strong and united it might be. He called for action. What are we to do ? Our first duty was, he said, to efiect the earliest possible release of Mrs. Besant and her two associates. If the Bureaucracy took the hint and did the needful, — well and good. If however the fetish of prestige held the powers that be from recognizing their mistake, we must compel them to come to terms. Passive Resistance (or Civil Disobedience) was he said the only weapon which would rouse the slumbering conscience of the authori- ties. The Bureaucracy was on the war-path.It would not even allow us peacefully to protest against the intern- ment orders. If a meeting convened by a leader Hke Dr. Rash Behari Ghose was prohibited, what guarantee was there, that liberty of expression and action would be allowed to us? Mr. Tilak, therefore, called upon the All-India Congress Committee to give a definite lead to the people.

The Moderates were in a sore fix. There was not a single bright speck in the political firmament on which they could rely. On occasions when the spirit of en- thusiasm is abroad, * wisdom ' is at a discount. * Fore- sight and reasoned judgment ' are synonyms for timi- dity. The Nation thinks not with the bram but with aa overheated heart. Who can say whether in the