Sri Aurobindo
Karmayogin
Political Writings and Speeches — 1909-1910
Karmayogin: A Weekly Review
Saturday 16th October 1909 — No.17
Facts and Opinions
Gokhale's Apologia
We do not think we need waste much space on the arguments of the recent speech in which Mr. Gokhale has attempted to reconcile the contradictory utterances in which his speeches have lately abounded.
Vibhishan's utterances are of little importance nowadays to anyone except the Government and Anglo-India, who are naturally disposed to make the most of his defection from the cause of the people.
Justice Chandavarkar, who long ago gave up the cause of his country for a judgeship and whose present political opinions can be estimated from his remarks1 in the Swaraj case, grandiloquently condemned the “vilification” to which Mr. Gokhale has been exposed, and declared that condemnation from such quarters was the greatest compliment a man like his protege2 could have.
Of course the worthy judge could not foresee that the Englishman would hail the first Servant of India as a brand plucked from the burning and compliment him on being the only righteous and right-thinking man among Indian politicians,— which is after all a little hard on Sir Pherozshah Mehta and Mr. Harkissen Lal.
But in the same report that enshrines Mr. Chandavarkar's semi-official rhetoric, we have it that the Commissioner of Police and his deputy were present to support the speaker with their moral influence and loudly 
applauded his sentiments.
Surely this was a yet greater compliment to Mr. Gokhale,— the greatest he could receive.
And if we suppose, with the Bombay Judge, that the condemnation of his countrymen is an honour for which the erstwhile popular leader eagerly pants, surely the support and loud applause of the two highest police officials in the land,— and one of them his old friend, Mr. Vincent, of whom he must have pleasant memories connected with his famous apology to the British army,— must have been yet dearer to the statesman's heart.
Only three things are noteworthy in the speech itself.
Mr. Gokhale fervently declares that it is not only the duty of every Indian to shun religiously all aspirations towards independence, but also to rush to the defence of the Government when it is attacked.
This explains Mr. Gokhale's recent speeches.
It is a pity that he awoke to the sense of his duty so late; otherwise, not being overburdened by a sense of consistency he might have rushed to the help of the Government against himself when he was loudly advocating political Boycott and even outdistancing the most extreme Nationalist by suggesting the refusal of payment of taxes.
The second thing we note, is the remarkable statement that, even if we try to use peaceful methods, the Government will not long allow them to retain their peaceful character.
This can mean only that the Government will deliberately force the advocates of Indian freedom to use violent means by persecuting the use of lawful and peaceful methods.
We had recently to dissent from a much more limited suggestion by Sj.
Bipin3 Pal, but an aspersion of this kind from Mr. Gokhale, not on officials but on the Government whom he is supporting so thoroughly in their policy, is amazing.
Truly, Mr. Gokhale hardly seems to know what discretion means.
In the same way he tried to teach the young men of India, among whom he admits that the gospel of independence has gained immense ground, that violence was the only road to the realisation of their cherished ideal.
Finally, we find Mr. Gokhale appealing to the people of this country to give up their ideals from personal self-interest and the danger of harassment and martyrdom which attends the profession and pursuit of the new politics.
Truly has a mighty teacher arisen in India!
We could have passed by an argument based on the doubt whether our course was right and helpful to the country, but this sordid appeal to the lowest motives in humanity, selfishness and cowardice, makes one's gorge rise.
And this is the man who claims, we hear, to have preceded the Nationalists as a prophet of self-sacrifice and the cult of the motherland.
Well may we echo the cry of the Israelite malcontents, “These be thy gods, O Israel!”