Bombay Liberal Conference

IT was only to be expected that the failure of the non-cooperation programme, and particularly its more ambitious and aggressive items, would embolden the forces of Liberalism in India. It was equally to be expected that this tendency would be particularly strong in those provinces which at one time were the strongholds of Liberalism, and which are still the home of Liberal leaders of acknowledged authority and influence. It was thus that Bengal under the leadership of Surendranath Banerjea was the first province in India in which Liberalism made a serious effort to recover its lost influence and prestige. It was a soul-elevating sight to see this this old man of 77 actually return to the fighting line, take up the editorship of the journal which he had a quarter of a century before made a power in the land, and address himself to his self-imposed task with an energy and vigour such as no other Indian of his age has ever exhibited in a public cause in recent times. With the death of Banerjea, the scene has naturally shifted to other provinces, and of these, Bombay easily takes the lead, both because it is the adopted home of Srinivasa Sastri, undoubtedly the most influential of all living Liberal leaders, and because it can still show a contingent of fighting Liberals such as no other Indian province can claim, not even the United Provinces. It was, therefore, with interest mingled with expectancy that the public all over India had looked forward to the session of the Bombay Provincial Conference which opened at Poona on Saturday with BS Kamat as Chairman of the Reception Committee and CY Chintamani as President.