FABEWELL TO SOUTH AFRICA 103 lives. I oall it our Magna Charta because it marks a change in the policy of the Government towards us and establishes our right not only to heconsulted in matters affecting us, but to have our reasonable wishes respected. It moreover confirms the theory of the British Constitu- tion that there should be no legal racial inequality be- tween dilferent subjects of the Grown, no matter how much practice may vary according to local circumstance. Above all the settlement may well be called our Magna Charta, because it has vindicated Passive Resistance as a lawful clean weapon, and has given in Passive Resist- ance a new strength to the community; and I consider it an infinitely superior force to that of the vote, which history shows has often been turned against the voters themselves. The settlement finally disnoses of all the points that were the subject-matter of Passive Resistance, and in do- ing so it breathes the spirit of justice and fair play. If the same spirit guides the administration of the existing laws my countrymen will have comparative peace, and South Africa will hear little of Indian problem ln an acute form. Some of my countrymen have protested against it. The number of these protestants is numerically very small and in influence not of great importance. They do not object to what has been granted, but they object that it is not enough. It is impossible, therefore, to withhold sympathy from them. Ihave had an oppor- tunitv of speaking to them, and I have endeavoured to show to them that if we had asked for anything more lt would have been a breach of submission made on behalf of the British Indians in a letter addressed to the Govern- ment by Mr. Cachalia during the latter part of last year
