ignorance of the Punjab events and callous
disregard of the feelings of Indians betrayed by the House of Lords,
have filled me with the gravest misgivings regarding the future of the
Empire, have estranged me completely from the present Government and
have disabled me from tendering, as I have hitherto whole-heartedly
tendered, my loyal co-operation.

In my humble opinion the ordinary method of agitating by way of
petitions, deputations and the like is no remedy for moving to
repentence a Government so hopelessly indifferent to the welfare of its
charges as the Government of India has proved to me. In European
countries, condonation of such grievous wrongs as the Khilafat and the
Punjab would have resulted in a bloody revolution by the people. They
would have resisted at all costs national emasculation such as the said
wrongs imply. But half of India is to weak to offer violent resistance
and the other half is unwilling to do so.

I have therefore ventured to suggest the remedy of non-co-operation which
enables those who wish, to dissociate themselves from the Government and
which, if it is unattended by violence and undertaken in an ordered
manner, must compel it to retrace its steps and undo the wrongs
committed. But whilst I shall pursue the policy of non-co-operation in
so far as I can carry the people with me, I shall not lose hope that you
will yet see your way to do justice. I therefore respectfully ask Your
Excellency to summon a conference of the recognised leaders of the
people and in consultation with them find a way that would placate the
Mussalmans and do reparation to the unhappy Punjab.

_August 4, 1920._

MAHATMA GANDHI'S LETTER TO H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT

The following letter has been addressed by Mr. Gandhi to his Royal
Highness the Duke of Connaught;--

Sir,

Your Royal Highness must have heard a great deal about non-co-operation,
non-co-operationists and their methods and incidentally of me its humble
author. I fear that the information given to Your Royal Highness must
have been in its nature one-sided. I owe it to you and to my friends and
myself that I should place before you what I conceive to be the scope of
non-co-operation as followed not only be me but my closest associates
such as Messrs. Shaukat Ali and Mahomed Ali.

For me it is no joy and pleasure to be actively associated in the
boycott of your Royal Highness' visit--I have tendered loyal and
voluntary association to the