INDIAN CONSTITUTIONAL DOCUMENTS 281

self-constituted gatherings. But with the disillusion-
ment about the reformed Councils, the popular con-
ventions, where speakers were free to attack the i

Government and give vent to their own aspirations Of Congress
untrammelled by rules of business or the prospect of a and League
reply, naturally regained their ascendancy ; and the
line taken by prominent . speakers in them has been
to belittle the utility of the Councils, if not to denounce
them as a cynical and calculated sham. We cannot
now say to what extent improvement might have been
effected by gradual changes in the rules of business
by relaxing official discipline, by permitting freer dis-
cussion, and by a. greater readiness to meet the non-
official point of view. However this may be, events
have proved too strong. The Councils have done
much better work than might appear to some of their
critics. But they have ceased to satisfy Indian opinion,
and their continuance can only lead to a further
cleavage between the Indian members and the Govern- councils no
ment and a further cultivation of criticism unchecked longer
by responsibility. enoueh
101. It seems to us that the inherent weakness
of the position created by the Morley-Minto changes
is excellently brought out in the following comment :—
" We must make up our minds either to rule our- „ M „ A
. it ill- i i r Eyl1 effects
selves or to let the people rule : there is no halt-way Of <g0vern-
house, except of course on the highway of deliberate ment by
transition. At present we are doing neither. We are concession
trying to govern by concession and each successive
concession has the air of being wrung from us. We
keep public business going by bargaining of the market
place, by a steady yielding to assults which always
leave some bitterness behind on both sides. This is
in no sense the fault of individuals ; it follows inevita-
bly from the influences at work. Up to Lord Curzon's
Viceroyalty, there was a sturdy determination to do
what was right for India, whether India altogether
liked it or not. The reforms which followed his
regime brought in a power of challenge and obstruo
tioiy,7~ influence without responsibility ; .and rather than
fight we have often to give way. We are shedding .