Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/644

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554 NON-CO-OPERATION

life in peril four times for the sake of the Empire, at the time of the Boer war when I was in charge of the Ambu- lance corps whose work was mentioned in General Buller's despatches, at the time of the Zulu revolt in Natal when ] was in charge of a similar corps, at the time of the com- mencement of the late war when I raised an Ambulance corps and as a icsult of the strenuous training had a severe attack of pleurisy, and lastly, in fulfilment of my promise to Lord Chelmsford at the War Conference in Delhi, I threw myself in such an active recruiting campaign in Kaira District involving long and trying marches, that I had an attack of dysentery which proved almost fatal. I did all this in the full belief that acts such as mine must gain for my country an equal status in the Empire. So last December I pleaded hard for a trustful co-operation. I fully believed that Mr. Lloyd George would redeem his pro- mise to the Mussalmans and that the revelations of the of the official atrocities in the Punjab would secure full reparation for the Punjabis. But the treachery of Mr. Lloyd George and its appreciation by you, and the condo- nation of the Punjab atrocities have completely "shattered my faith in the good intentions of the Government and the nation which is supporting it.

But though my faith in your good intentions is gone, I recognise your bravery and I know that what you will not yield to justice and reason, you will gladly yield to bravery.

See what this Empire means to India:

Exploitation of India's resources for the benefit of Great Britain,

An ever-increasing military expenditure, and a civil service the most expensive in the world,

Extravagant working of every department ir. utter dis- regard of India's poverty,

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