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The Montagu-Chelmsford Report had recommended that a Parliamentary Commission should come out to India five years after the scheme had been in operation, with a view to reporting upon its working and recommending its revision, if necessary. The period was extended by the parliamentary statute to ten years. From the Indian point of view, this seemed to be too long, and the res- toration of the original period was urged. This was not accepted by the Joint Committee. I think it would have been wiser, even from the official point of view, to have adhered to the original pro- posal; for it would probably have averted the agitation for the imme- diate grant of full provincial autonomy which now finds favour with a large section of the Indian community. A quinquennium is not too short a period, even at the rate at which things are now progressing in India, and public opinion would have been content to wait without clamour when the prospect of a change was in sight and within so short a time. It was a mistake to have departed from a recommendation that held out the hope of an early advance. Diarchy was a novel experiment, and to many it seemed risky, and the prospect of an early limitation of its scope with its speedy disap- pearance in the near future would have had a soothing effect upon public opinion. However, that was not to be, and the original proposal was modified, despite the protests of the Indian witnesses.

It was indeed evident that diarchy did not commend itself to every member of the Joint Committee, nor did it seem to be quite acceptable to British public opinion. I had the opportunity of dis- cussing the question with an important member of the British Press, who was by no means unfriendly to Indian aspirations, and had certainly no desire to embarrass the Government. I think I was able to convince him that, whatever might be the defects of the system from the critical standpoint, there was no escape from it in view of the Declaration of August 20, 1917. Responsible government was to be the end and aim of British rule in India, and in the terms of the message it was to be attained by progressive stages. The full measure of it was not to be granted at once: the evolution must take place step by step, until the final stage was reached. There was to be an experimental period, during which certain departments were to be transferred to ministers responsible to the Legislature and to a popular electorate, as preparatory to the grant of a full measure of responsible government. It was to be responsible government in part, or no responsible government at all. Mr. Montagu had, in the name of the British Government,