With no hope on the horizon, the Indians set out on the campaign trail on May 11, 1907. They refused to register and Gandhiji and many others were imprisoned. In prison, he was approached by Albert Cartwright, editor-in-chief of the Transvaal Leader, on behalf of Jan Smuts (a prominent British Commonwealth leader, military leader and philosopher). Cartwright promised that the Black Act would be repealed if Gandhiji and his supporters voluntarily signed up. Gandhiji met with Smuts on 30 January and the agreement was formalized and he was released. The others were released the next morning. « Many English friends rejoiced and promised their help in reaching a final agreement. It was quite difficult to get the Indians to approve this agreement. No one would want the enthusiasm that has emerged to fade.
Who would trust General Smuts again? Some reminded me of the 1908 fiasco and said, « General Smuts once misrepreses us, often accusing you of forcing new problems and causing the community endless suffering. And yet, it`s a shame you didn`t learn the lesson you needed not to trust him! This man will betray you again, and you will again propose to resurrect Satyagraha. So, who`s listening to you? Is it possible for men to go to prison from time to time and face failures every time? With a man like General Smuts, it is only possible to settle if he delivers the goods. There is no point in having his insurance. How can we continue to trust a man who has mortgaged his word and then breaks it? « Mr. Andrews was the mediator and witness in this agreement, and then there was Sir Benjamin Robertson as a representative of the Indian government. There is therefore the slightest probability that the agreement will be rejected at a later date. If I had stubbornly refused to accept the agreement, he would have been charged against the Indians and the victory over the next six months would have been marred by several obstacles.
The author of Sanskrit, who says, « Forgiveness is a jewel for the brave, » relied on his rich experience that Satyagrahis did not give anyone the slightest opportunity to find faults in them. Distrust is a sign of weakness, and Satyagraha implies the banishment of all weakness and therefore mistrust, which is clearly unfounded if the opponent is not to be destroyed, but won.