11 FEBRUARY 1922, Page 3

The Indian Government, in a lengthy document published on Wednesday,

took up Mr. Gandhi's challenge. His demands, they said, were "such as no Government could discuss, much less accept " :— " The issua is no longer between this or that programme of political advance, but between lawlessness with all its dangerous consequences on the one hand, and on the other the maintenance of those principles which lie at the root of all civilized govern- ment. Mass civil disobedience is fraught with such danger to the State that it must be met with sternness and severity."

The logical outcome of this manifesto must be the prosecu- tion of Mr. Gandhi, Whether Mr. Montagu likes it or not, the arch-rebel who is openly advocating the overthrow of the " Satanic " Government cannot any longer be left unmolested while his accomplices languish in gaol.