ir sufferings to the fullest extent? The answer to these
questions and not the peace terms, will finally decide the fate of
the Khilafat.

MORE OBJECTIONS ANSWERED

_Swadeshmitran_ is one of the most influential Tamil dailies of Madras.
It is widely read. Everything appearing in its columns is entitled to
respect. The Editor has suggested some practical difficulty in the way
of non-co-operation. I would therefore like, to the best of my ability,
to deal with them.

I do not know where the information has been derived from that I have
given up the last two stages of non-co-operation. What I have said is
that they are a distant goal. I abide by it. I admit that all the stages
are fraught with some danger, but the last two are fraught with the
greatest--the last most of all. The stages have been fixed with a view
to running the least possible risk. The last two stages will not be
taken up unless the committee has attained sufficient control over the
people to warrant the beliefs that the laying down of arms or suspension
of taxes will, humanly speaking, be free from an outbreak of violence on
the part of the people. I do entertain the belief that it is possible
for the people to attain the discipline necessary for taking the two
steps. When once they realise that violence is totally unnecessary to
bend an unwilling government to their will and that the result can be
obtained with certainty by dignified non-co-operation, they will cease
to think of violence even by way of retaliation. The fact is that
hitherto we have not attempted to take concerted and disciplined action
from the masses. Some day, if we are to become truly a self-governing
nation, that attempt has to be made. The present, in my opinion, is a
propitious movement. Every Indian feels the insult to the Punjab as a
personal wrong, every Mussalman resents the wrong done to the Khilafat.
There is therefore a favourable atmosphere for expecting cohesive and
restrained movement on the part of the masses.

So far as response is concerned, I agree with the Editor that the
quickest and the largest response is to be expected in the matter of
suspension of payment of taxes, but as I have said so long as the masses
are not educated to appreciate the value of non-violence even whilst
their holding are being sold, so long must it be difficult to take up
the last stage into any appreciable extent.

I agree too that a sudden withdrawal of the military and the police w