Mr. Peddie's murder and the making of the murderer of Mrs. Curtis a hero at the Sikh League meeting bring out in clear light the tragic fact that the cult of violence has still many votaries. The extolling of murderers is being overdone. If we are to sing the praises of every murderer because the murder has a political motive behind it, we should proceed from praising the deed to the deed itself. The praising of Sajjan Singh as a hero raises a doubt in my mind about the wisdom of my having been the authour of the Congress resolution about Bhagat Singh. My motive was plain enough. The deed was condemned. The spirit of bravery and sacrifice was praised. The hope behind was that we would thereby be able to distinguish between the deed and the motive, and ultimately learn to detest deeds such as political murders, no matter how high the motive might be. But the effect of the Congress resolution has been perhaps quite the contrary. It seems to have given a passport for extolling murder itself. I repeat my deliberate opinion that whatever may be true of other countries, in India at least political murder can only harm the country. This is much more true whilst an experiment on the largest scale yet known to the world is being made to win liberty through strictly peaceful methods. He who runs can see that the experiment has proved its merit beyond all expectation, and is almost on the point of succeeding. I make blod to say that had the experiment not been interrupted by political murders and the violence in though and less often in speech and still less often in action of civil resisters, India would by this time have been free.
Non-violence is the weapon not of the weak but of the strong. Non-violence means forgiving an injury and not retaliating. 'Forgiveness is an ornament of the strong,' says a Sanskrit proverb. Yudhishthira gave exhibition of this quality when he even though provoked beyond measure by Virata not only forgave him but took extraordinary measures to protect him against the wrath of his brother Arjuna who would but for those precautions have killed him for insulting and injuring the great king Yudhishthira.
Non-violence is not a mechanical performance. It is the finest quality of the heart and comes by training. When it comes, it seems, because it is, natural, and the posessor wonders that it should have cost any trouble at all in its attainment. What can be more natural than to return blow for blow, says the beast in us. What can be more natural or more human than that we should return a blow with forgiveness, says the man in us. He who gave the blow was ignorant and forgot himself. Why should the injured person betray ignorance and forget himself? Are the many wives who suffer the brutalities of their brutal husbands more than human because they forgive their husbands? They would of course do better if they would not add pampering to their forgiveness and would withdraw co-operation from their husbands for the the latter's own sakes.
But let me not go into deeper waters. Those who profess nonviolence should realize their strength and be non-violent in thought, word and deed. Let those who still doubt the efficacy of the non-violent method and are not sure of that of the violent method, ponder over the following :
1. India's millions have no tradition of the violent method.
2. They, the villagers, have never been known to have combined on any large scale to use the violent method.
3. They have no definite ideas as yet of political freedom in terms of India as one country.
4. Where, as in Europe, the people have gained their freedom by the violent method, the people were more or less trained in the use of arms.
5. They, the peoples of Europe, gained their freedom by being able to use greater violence than the enthroned authority.
6. It is at least doubtful if they, not excluding the English, have got real freedom. The masses there still feel that they are being ground down by the moneyed classes who have the reins of government in their hands. Look at their varied problems ever increasing in perplexity.
7. In India on the other hand we know that it is through the non-violent method alone that the phenomenal mass consciousness, including the awakening of women, has come into being.
8. We know as a proved fact that where the people erred and became violent, they lost ground, became demoralized and were cowed down.
If I were to give more thought to the past twelve months I could elaborate the list. But as it is, it is perhaps enough for my purpose.
To those who have settled convictions in favour of the violent method, I say: You will give me the same credit that you claim for yourselves for love of the country. If so, you should accept my testimony that by mixing your method with mine you protract the agony. The belief which, I know, some of you hold that an occasional murder of an official helps the cause is wholly unfounded. On the contrary I know that every murder has hampered me in my pursuit. I know that you are as anxious as I amΓÇôyou will probably say you are more anxious than I amΓÇôfor the release of all political prisoners. You must admit that the terrorist method can only retard their discharge. Constituted as this Government is, all governments are, they will not discharge political offenders convicted of violence when political violence takes place. All things considered, therefore, you will do well to listen to my advice and request, and suspend your activities whilst the nation is giving a trial to my experiment.
