A FURTHER STEP IN EVOLUTION

IT is impossible to go through the Congress telegrams, whether those sent by the Associated Press or by our Special Representative, without having two convictions forced on one’s mind, first, that the enthusiasm which characterises the present session of the Congress is something phenomenal, something wholly unlike what one notices at an ordinary session, and secondly that this enthusiasm centres round one single item on the agenda of the Congress, the subject of Non-co-operation. Nor is this a matter for surprise. As we have said already, Non-co-operation is in a sense the only subject before the present Congress. All the three other subjects resolve themselves into this one subject, because all of them represent what in official parlance are called settled facts, and in respect of all of them the real question before the Congress is whether it is to content itself with mere passing of customary resolutions of protest, or to take some more direct and more positive action. And the prevailing enthusiasm is solely due to the fact that in the opinion of the vast majority of Congressmen the time has come when the Congress can no longer content itself with the pursuit of past methods, when it must go forward and take one more definite and substantial step towards the realisation of national destiny. In the expressive words of the President, “we have advanced beyond the last stage of very humble submission, have crossed the boundaries of respectful demand and have entered into the arena of backing our demands by vigorous and compelling action of a peaceful kind.” In the equally expressive words of Sir Ashutosh Chaudhury, who proposed the forward election of Lala Lajpat Rai as President, there is no “hide and seek in the matter.” The Congress wants to take a further step in its evolutionary process.

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