Jump to content

Page:Allan Octavian Hume, C.B.; Father of the Indian National Congress.djvu/102

From Wikisource
This page needs to be proofread.

will certainly be upon it, and that it will include others of the most prominent and trusted of our friends in England."

Action was taken in accordance with the above . scheme, and the required Committee was formed on the 27th July 1889. It consisted of Sir W. Wedderburn (chairman), Mr. Dadabhai Naoroji, Mr. W. S. Caine M.P., and Mr. W. S. Bright McLaren M.P., with Mr. W. Digby as secretary, and subsequently the Committee was 7 joined by Mr. John Ellis M.P., Mr. George Yule, Mr. | W. C. Bonnerjee, Sir Charles Schwann M.P., Sir Herbert ^s Roberts M.P., Dr. G. B. Clark, and Mr. Martin Wood. ^ The constitution of this Committee was confirmed by a ^ Resolution of the Congress of 1889, and Rs. 45,000 were voted for its maintenance, the amount to be raised by a proportional contribution from each of the Provincial Congress Committees. The title finally adopted was, " The British Committee of the Indian National Con- gress." In September 1892 Mr. Digby resigned the ] secretaryship, and the office was removed to Nos. 84 and 85 Palace Chambers, Westminster, a very convenient locality opposite the Houses of Parliament ; and these rooms, suitably furnished, the walls hung with portraits of Congress worthies, and with an Indian library con- tributed by Mr. Dadabhai Naoroji and other friends, became the permanent centre of operations for the Congress propaganda in England.

It has been the practice to elect, as temporary members of the Committee, any leading Congress supporters who happen to be on a visit to England. This brings the Committee into touch with the most recent developments in India, and adds much strength to its position, as will be understood from the list of these temporary members, which has included such names as Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, Mr. Surendranath Banerjea, Mr. Subramania Iyer, Mr. Mudholkar, Mr. Gokhale, Mr. D. E. Wacha,