ome say they have no food, others that they cannot pay even house rent. The condition of the houses of most workmen is very bad; there is not sufficient light or ventilation in them. The workers arbitrators explained that they must suffer hardship in order to make the satyagraha pure. In order to demonstrate this to the workers, the arbitrators gave examples of other people who suffered for their cause. Some paid with their lives; others endured jail sentences or impoverishment. As long as the Ahmedabad Satyagraha remained non-violent, jail time was not a threat. The arbitrators hoped that such extreme hardships would not have to be suffered during the Ahmedabad Satyagraha, but the workers had to be prepared for anything.Part of self-sacrifice was to overcome temptation. The millowners announced they would give a twenty-percent increase to those who wished to come back to work, therefore, ending the lockout. The workers decided that they would not accept anything below a thirty-five percent increase. Due to the millowners refusal to give a thirty-five percent increase, and the refusal of the workers to accept the temptation of the millowners twenty-percent increase, the situation changed from a lockout to an official strike.To add to temptation, the millowners stated that those workers who bring back with him five other workers would receive a reward. The workers took an oath not to accept anything less than 35 percent and they would encourage other workers to keep to their pledge, short of coercion. Under these circumstances, a worker cannot go back without compromising his pledge, his honor, and his manliness. In order to help the workers keep to their oath and resist the temptations of the employers, a meeting was held at the time of the mill re-opening. The workers were encouraged to bring with them workers who had not attended previous meeting, voluntarily of course, in order to help the workers keep their resolve.Satya ...
