violent or otherwise innocent activities under cover of the ordinary laws should be discharged upon the proof of their non-violence. 'For this purpose I had suggested the committee appointed by the conference. But on the Resolutions Committee showing that it would be difficult for the Government to accept such an uncontrolled recommendation, I agreed to the principle of arbitration now imported in the resolution. The second compromise is regarding picketing. My suggestion was that in the event of the round table conference being decided upon, Non-Co-operation activities of a hostile nature should be suspended and that all picketing except bona fide peaceful picketing should also be sus- pended, pending result of the conference, As the implications of hostile activities appeared to me to be > too dangerous to be acceptable, I hastily withdrew my own wording and gladly threw over even bona fide peaceful picketing, much though I regretted it. I felt that the friends interested in liquor picketing for the sake of temperance would not mind the temporary sacrifice.
I agreed too to advise the Working Committee to postpone general mass civil disobedience contemplated by the Congress to the 31st instant in order to enable the Committee and the Conference to enter into negotia- tions with the Government. This, I felt, was essential to show our bona fides. We could not take up new offensives whilst negotiations for a conference were being conducted by responsible men. I further under- took to advise the Committee, in the event of the pro- posed conference coming off, to stop all harals pending the conference. This I hold to be inevitable. Harals are a demonstration against bureaucracy. We cannot
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