Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/267

 would have been Mr. Gokhale's surprise, had he been living in 19 17, to learn that the overwhelming majority of the Nation had determined to flout the Government by electing Mr. Besant and Mr. Mahomed Ali for the Presidentship of the National Congress and Muslim League respectively even when they were in internment ?

With the Moderates' opposition to the adoption of Passive Resistance and to' the election of Mrs. Besant for the Presidentship of the Congress, it was clear that a crisis was approaching and that the unity, which the Nation had shown in formulating the Congress-League scheme and in conducting vigorously the Home Rule agitation, was terribly strained. The loose organisation of the Congress threatened to be wrecked on the rocks of serious party differences. But the timely appointment of Mr, Montagu as Secretary of State for India consider- ably improved the situation. The historic declaration of August 20 th soon followed. Another announcement still — Mr. Montagu was to come over to India to study the question of Constitutional Reforms ! The situation at once changed. The cry of Passive Resistance was dropped ; and every set of politicians began to for- mulate the pohtical reforms to be sought at the hands of the new Secretary of State.

If there was any politician in India whose programme of work was not materially altered by the announcement of Mr. Montagu's visit, it was Mr. Tilak ; with his unerring judgment, he clearly saw that whatever concessions Mr. Montague would be incUned to make would, to a considerable extent, be negatived by the reactionary forces at work in India and England ;