FROM B. G. HORNIMAN
The Bombay Chronicle
(Editorial Department)
July 1, 1917
My dear J
Thanks for yours of the 29th.
Gandhi has carried away rather a wrong impression. We are going to have our
protest meeting on Saturday next. We never intended not to have it. But Gandhi came
here with his suggestion of fixing a date to be followed by passive resistance.
We-that is most of those who were present at the
discussion-agreed but Gandhi asked us to wait till he had seen Malaviya before
we did anything. Then he sent a telegram from Allahabad saying that Malaviya
had not returned from Shimla, so we went on with our arrangements. But I am all
in favor of the Passive Resistance Movement. It is essential that something practical should be done, we are circulating a
Passive Resistance Manifesto here for signature, which I was the first to sign.
Of course, you realise, that we have our difficulties too with the elder Congressmen,
but we have given them a good shaking up and have carried them much further than we ever hoped.
The visit to Madras was a great success.
As you know we got out New India again in a couple of
days. It was a great triumph and a great blow to the enemy. Mrs. Besant
had given up all hope of its coming out again. The Madras meeting too was quite
good.
As regards the J.D.R. I
am sorry to say that our people here, or most of them, are not in favour of
your action, though I still personally think it was both fine and right.
Jinnah, who with great trouble
was originally
persuaded to support the recruiting movement, is now strong
on not dropping it as a protest and I seem to stand alone.
Malaviya, I hear today, has sent
Jinnah a telegram suggesting a Joint All India Congress Committee and Moslem
League Council Conference on the 8th instant. I think it is a good idea if we
can only inject some virility into these old stagers. If it comes off, I hope
you will all come down from Allahabad. I was so keen on seeing Malaviya myself
and having an earnest talk with him that I
should have come up to Allahabad for the purpose if he had not been coming
here. As for Surendra Nath I am sure I could do something with him if I got hold
of him. I have known him from my first day in India 11 years ago and know how
to tackle him;
but he is under
bad influences.
Two things are
essential if an impression is to be made.
1. Resignation of Members of Council (God bless Allahabad,for the idea!)
2. Passive
resistance if Government does not reverse its policy and release the internees
by a certain date.
I shall work for these for all I
am worth. so far as Bombay is concerned. But an All-India Conference is
essential. I have ordered the paper to be sent to you. I thought I had already
done so.
My kindest
regards to every one.
Yours very sincerely,
B. G. HORNIMAN
[B. G. HORNIMAN
was a popular and influential editor of the Bombay
Chronicle. He played an important part in the
Indian national movement in the later years of
the first World War and after. J.
D. R. stands for some kind of reserve military organisation
which was then proposed for training to be given to
educated Indian young men. Many of us
decided to join this and sent in our application forms. This was during the - first
World War. A little later came the internment of
MRS.
ANNIE BESANT. This was a shock to us and as a
protest we withdrew our application forms.]
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