give power to extend the quarantine for an unlimited period, they asked that Parliament be called together for one, two, or three days if need be, to pass a law which would enable them to say Bombay was an infected district. We declare it to be such, and until that proclamation was taken off, no Indian could come from Bombay to this Colony.[9] (Loud applause.) He thought that the deputation were quite entitled to infer from the meeting they had with Mr. Escombe that morning, that if they went the right way to work, and did not do anything to hamper the Government, they would get that session of Parliament at the earliest possible date, and thereby prevent the landing of more coolies until they could get time to pass a law which would last for ever. (Applause.)
Dr. MacKenzie:
- The men of Durban were unanimous on that point (early Parliament). He said “the men of Durban,” because there were a few old women knocking about the place. (Laughter and cheers.) They had only to take the tone of some of the leaders in the papers, and some of the cautious and sage advice they had been meting out to them to get the type of the man who sticks behind the quill—the sort of man who urged that sort of thing—was the man who presumed to say that the burgesses did not know what was right. . . . All but one man on board these boats, lying outside, had no reason to suspect that they would not be agreeably received as emigrants to this Colony. One man might reasonably be supposed to have some suspicions upon that point. That gentleman (Gandhi)was on board one of the boats, and in what he now said, he did not refer to him. They had the right to shut the Port, and they intended to shut it. (Applause.) They would deal fairly by the people, and by the men on these boats, and to that extent, by that solitary individual. But he hoped there would be a marked difference between the character of the dealing. When they got to the Point they would put themselves under their leader, and do exactly what he told them, if he told them to do anything. (Laughter.)
A document headed as follows was circulated amongst the Durban employees by the Demonstration Committee:
- List of names of members, trade or profession mentioned,[10] who are willing to proceed to the Point and resist, by force if necessary, the
