M. K. GANDHI 43 and order;but there is yet an escape from N on-Co-operation. The Mussulman representation has requested Your Excellency to lead the agitation yourself as did your distinguished prede- cessor at the time of the South African trouble, but if you cannot see your way to do so and Non-Co-operation becomes the dire necessity, I hope Your Excellency will give those who have accepted my advice and myself credit for being actuated by nothing less than a stern sense of duty. Tum Nor: Oo-orsanron PaconAMMm And what was the Non-Co-operation programme that Mr. Gandhi had worked out for the adoption of the country for rectifying the wrongs done to Muslim sentiment? He enunciated the four stages in the programme of Non-Co- operation in clear and unambiguous terms. The first was the giving up of titles and honorary offices ; the second was the refusal to serve Government in paid appointments or to participate in any manner in the working of the existing machinery of civil and judicial administration. The third was to decline to pay taxes and the last was to ask the police and the military to withdraw co—operation from the Government. From the first Mr. Gandhi realised the full scope of the movement and he had no doubt of its far-reaching effects. It cannot therefore be said that he started the movement in a fit of indigna· tion. Far from it he had worked out his programme to the farthest limits of its logic and had a clear grasp of all its implications. From time to time he set right many a misconception in the mind of the non co—operationists, such for instance, in regard to the position of the non co- operationist Vakil. There is no ambiguity in what Mr. Gandhi said. The Vakil should quietly wash his hands ofl the court, cases and all, Mr. Gandhi took care to explain that no stage would be taken until he had made sure that he was on firm ground. That is, he would not embark on the last two stages till he had created an indigenous panchayat to dispense justice and an organization of volunteers to maintain peace and order. In any case, violence should be completely avoided. Now it nlust be admitted that many people had only a vague and hazy notion of Mr. Gandhi’s programm6_ There were of course those who plainly told Mr. Gandhi gf
