SJT. C. RAJAGOPALACHAR
Hope at last
"But things are shaping themselves beautifully without our having to force the pace" so writes Mahatma Gandhi on 10th instant. When otherwise, in December, men would have doubted whether we had done well or failed. When we were anxiously thinking how to shape our programme in order that we might get greater momentum, Providence has led our rulers into a policy which, if met by a little courage, on our part and a little sacrifice, will surely take us to the promised land in less than a month.
Civil disobedience was inevitable, but the danger of disorder made us draw a distinction between mass and individual disobedience. We were striving to find out what law or orders were best fitted for civil disobedience. We laid down conditions, moving most cautiously. When we were thus anxiously feeling our way, our rulers have come to our help. The hand of God is clearly seen in recent events. Clean simple Civil Disobedience, with all the advantages of individual as well as of mass disobedience, with the risks of violence reduced to a minimum, has been rendered possible by the wholesale prohibitions of Congress executive work which is now being promulgated as law in province after province.
We made the mistake of giving our honorary Congress Workers a bad English name. We called them Volunteers and the Government is taking full advantage of the word. "Volunteer" suggests guns, sticks or at least, some amount of drill. Under the pretence of supressing a potential army of revolutionaries, which in European countries would call itself by such a name, Government's trying to make illegal all congress work such as Swadeshi or temperance or organisation of branches and even to make it practically impossible to see to the physical needs of our meetings and gatherings. To such a wide prohibition, no nation with a further before it, can submit. The young men of this province have tarried too long. A chance is now offered to them. In hundreds and thousands, I expect them now to come forward, give their names as congress volunteers, and go to prison if the government is resolved to send to prison, men whose main and only object is to make men peaceful, non-violent, industrious, brave and godly.
There is no more time to be lost. God has taken away wisdom from our rulers and guided them into the path of folly, so that we might have our birth right. Only, we should purify ourselves with a little sacrifice and a little courage. The Criminal Law amendment Act will bring us Swaraj within the year, if our young men wake up now.