autobiography, Gandhi begins his account of the Balasundaram case by stating:
Service of the poor has been my heart’s desire, and it has always thrown me amongst the poor and enabled me to identify myself with them. . . . Balasundaram’s case reached the ears of every indentured labourer, and I came to be regarded as their friend. I hailed this connection with delight. A regular stream of indentured labourers began to pour into my office, and I got the best opportunity of learning their joys and sorrows.50
Gandhi may have learned their joys and sorrows, and he may very well have quietly helped poor Indians in a manner not involving the legal process. Indeed, at a farewell party for Gandhi on the eve of his 1896 visit to India, Parsee Rustomji, an activist for the Congress cause, saluted Gandhi, saying that “words could not express the kindness shown by Mr. Gandhi to poor Indians.”51 If the public records left behind are any indication, however, Gandhi the barrister did not provide them many legal services. Rather, his practice was principally focused on serving the legal, economic, and political interests of Natal’s affluent Indian merchants.
Shortly after the Balasundaram case was successfully concluded, Gandhi experienced an easy win in civil court for the most prominent Indian merchant company. Max Scheurmann was the proprietor of the German Cafe, a combination restaurant and bakery located on premises leased to him by Gandhi’s client, Dada Abdulla and Company. Scheurmann was not much of a businessman, however. He fell behind in his rental payments to the company, which then commissioned Gandhi to pursue the German in court. Gandhi sued and recovered a judgment of just over £38, plus costs, against the hapless and undefended businessman, who made no attempt to fight the suit. Gandhi also succeeded in having the court order the almost immediate ejectment of Scheurmann from his business premises.
Scheurmann had been vanquished by the same lawyer who rescued the impoverished Balasundaram. It would be the straw that broke the businessman’s economic back. Ten days after his eviction and just a few days before Christmas, 1894, Scheurmann was in Durban Circuit Court, begging for bankruptcy protection for himself and his wife.
SIX
Formation Lessons
The Indians are to be considered a necessary evil at present; we cannot do without them as labourers; we cannot do without them as storekeepers.
RICHARD ALEXANDER, Superintendent of Police
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
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