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KARMAYOGIN
Fherozshah Mehta before they will linit fellowship with us them farther negotiations are useless. Disunion must take its course. The Spirit of the Negotiations.
Amrita Bazar Patrika seent to us to misunderstand the spirit of the negotiations which are proceeding. The Patrika harps on the ine insistency of the Moderate leaders nogotiating on one side and at the same time holding a meeting to send delegates to the Three Men's Congress at Lahore. Thete is no such condition underlying the negotiations. At Hughly Sj Surendranath expressly reserved his liberty to attend Sir Pherozshah's Congress and there is no reason why he should not do so if he thinks that his duty or his best policy. Nor do the Nationalists ask the Bengal Moderates to refrain, though they will naturally put their Own interpretation
the cause of the country on bodies the Moderates over to the of esca controlled by the Government. It sevolution. It is evidently felt by greatly helps our cause that the the Liberals that, with an Upper Government should so emphatically Chamber more and more shamelessset its face, against any mistakenly and constantly a mere tool of the Both the Bengure and the diplomacy of this kind. Mr. Kelkar's Conservative leaders, it is imposonly specifis offence aginst eligibility sible for any Liberal Government was a sentence of fine and two mon- to accept office unless it has a manth's imprisonment for contempt of date to end or mend the Lords. court, and that is short of the time We cannot believe that a simi'ar requred for ineligibility. Sj. Surendra- feeling will not actuate the great nath who, wAR, hy the mass of Liberals all over Great way sentenced to six months for a still Britain and heal af differences. graver contempt, has been specially Already the Labour Executive has exerupted, unasked, by the Lieute decided to make the victory easier nant Governor of Bengal from for the Government by not divid another disability. It is obvious ing the forward vote in a considertherefore that Mr. Kelkar's real able number of constituencies and offence was his Nationalist views we have no doubt this is the outand his friendship with Mr. Tilak. ward sign of a secret compact We hope that all compromising between the Labour Party and Nationalists will take the lesson of the Liberals by which the return this rebuff to heart. The object of of a powerful Socialist party has the Government is to rally the been secured. Even the extreme Mahomedans and the Moderates and isolate the Nationalists. No doubt they mean by the Moderates the Loyalist section of that party, but they are evidently wishful not to entirely alienate the Nationalist Moderates, if they can do so while excluding them from all real weight on the Councils. But by what reasoning any Nationalist can ima gine that he will escape the operation of the excluding clauses, we are at a loss to understand. We may also ask our Mahratta brothers. what advantage they have gained by being less rigid than ourselves. They are, if anything. more rigorously persecuted than we are in Bengal. Weakness of any kind does not pay in dealing with the
Briton.
Socialists who usually are against all dealing with the middle class and whose motto is "A plague on both your houses," are calling on the Socialists of all shades to support the Government in abolishing the House of Lords. If Mr. Asquith had followed the line we suggested as possible in a previous number and introduced moderate but effective bill for nullifying the Lord's veto, he would certainly have gained a number of Mode ate votes which will now be den.el to him, but it is doubtful whether the gain of the entire Socialist. vote, secured by keeping himselt free to end the House of Lords, is not, in the present condition of English politics, a compensation far exceeding the loss. Already Tariff Reform is receeding into the background and promises to be a subordinate issue. The battle is over the constitutional, not the fiscal issue. By their anxioty to bring Unionist Labour candidates into the field and the eager talk of Conservative leaders about the necessity of reforming the Lords. the party of reaction show that they perfectly understand from what quarters disaster threatens. Now that the Liberal party is pledged to destroy the Lords, veto, the English Revolution is assured and it will be not a middle class but a Socialist and Labour revolution. This result is assured whether the Liberals win or lose in the present decide the fortunes of such a war. One campaign does not
battle.
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an alliance based on the pusillanimous surrender of the Boycott Resolution. On the other hand the Bengalee is quite mistaken in thinking that what the Nationalists seek is admission to the Convention or that they feel themselves. under any necessity to go cap in hand t Sir Pherozsh th Mehta and M. Gokhale. On the contrary they distinctly state that the Convention is not the Congress, but they recognise that as a mero matter of convenience the reparation of its errors by the Convention is the readiest method of bringing about a compromuse and they are therefore willing to take the status quo as a basis for negotiations. They recognise no obligation to confort submissively to that basis or approach the Bombay leaders as the arbiters of their destiny.
A Salutary Rejection.
We would draw the attention of all weak-kneed Nationalists to the ban placed by the Borbay Government on the candidature of the distinguished and able Puna Nationlist, Mr. N. C. Kelkar, Mahratta Nationalism has never been so robustly uncotahromising as the Bengal school in its refusal of co-operation in the absence of control, and Mr. Kelkar, though a sincere and ardent Nationalist, a friend and constant fellow-worker of Mr. Tilak, has always preserved an independent line in this matter and considerd himself at liberty to help
The English Revolution.
The note of revolution which was struck with resounding force by Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. Winston Churchill in the quarrel with the Lords, is now ringing louder in England and has been taken up in soberer but not less emphatic tones by Mr Asquith and Sir Edward Grey. There can be no doubt that there was dissension in the Cabinet over the Budget and that the concessions made by the Government in the process of passing it were forced upon Mr Lloyd George and certainly not to the taste of that fiery and uncompromising Celt. But the reactionary attempt of the House of Lords to control finance, has evidently closed up the ranks by driving
