THE WOMEN'S WAR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1707, 26 March 1913, Page 7

THE WOMEN'S WAR.

LABOUR PARTY ATTACKED. DELEGATES PADLOCKED UP. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, March 21. Suffragettes, who were refused admission to the Labour Conference at Manchester imprisoned the delegates fof half an hour by chaining and padlocking tho doors. Crowbars failed to break down tho doors, and Anally they had to bo sawn through. . The women also continuously interrupted an address delivered by Mr. Keir Bardie, 11.] 1 ., to a gathering of supporters of the Independent Labour party, at Manchester, and characterised liiin as "n miserable coward, who had betrayed the women's cause." Many were ejected. Mr. Keip Hardio advocated the releaso of hunger strikers. There would, he said, be more now at liberty but for tho anad burning of Lady White's house, which had prevented the authorities from appearing to yield to terrorism.

ATTEMPT TO TIKE ANOTHER HOUSE. London, March 24<. A party of suffragettes spread paraffin over a house in, course of construction in Beckenham. The polico disturbed the women, who fled, leaving suffragette literature behind them. The fire brigado extinguished the fire. Public greens at Sandwich liavo been much damaged. Tho Post Office is receiving a number of packages containing pinfire cartridges, so placed that a blow whilst postmarking would explode them. TREATMENT OP "HUNGERSTRIKERS." (Reo. March 25, 11.15 p.m.) . ■ London, March 25. -Mr. M"K«nna, Homo Secretary, has introduced a Bill dealing with the- treatment of Suffragette prisoners who refuse to take food while in gaol. "NEWS FROM THE SEAT OF WAR," MRS. PANKHURST JUBILANT.

Mrs. Pankhurst, presiding at the weekly meeting of the Women's' Social and in riion in LoAdon on February 10, said there was news from tho seat'of war. (Laughter and cheers.) Three women had been arrested for window-break-ing in Clubland. (Cheers.) One read also of the cutting of telegraph wires, and that-for several hours on Saturday communication by telegraph was entirely cut oil between London and Glasgow. (Cheers.) Aot only had the overhead,Vv'iros been cut but tho underground wires had also been put out of gear through tho blowing up ? A us , e ' ,ox ' "icy read about tho orclnd houses at Kew. She, asked them in faco. of theso ' facts whether women were capable of waging warfare'against an unjust Government .without loss of lifo just as effectively as the njlies in the East were waging warfare against the lurks. It seemed to lier that what the women of Glasgow did on Saturday was fjniro as effective as what the allies did in Adrianople. Tho Glasgow women absolutely stopped communication on a very important business day between tho stockbrokers ■of .London and Glasgow. (Loud cheers.) They were not destroying orchid houses, cutting telegraph wires, breaking windows, and injuring golf greens in order to win tho approval of. tho people who were attacked. They did not want the gentlemen iii Piccadilly whoso windows were broken to ba pleased. They wished them to' be angry. Sineo their last meeting there had been somo casualties. Some women had been arrested, but not so riiany as wpre arrested last March, although a'great deal of damago had been inflicted oil the enemy, as was tho case last March. So far as the popularity of the Union was concerned they had no reason to distress themselves. . Their membership was increasing, and their funds were in a most healthy condition. (Cheers.) Thero was no lack in the. supply of volunteers to take tho places of the soldiers who wero out 'of action. In these days their , only regret was that women wore arrested at all, and tlioy were particularly pleased that iu the .case of the orchid houses there had not been one single arrest. (Cheers.) Thero were people who said it was wrong to destroy in a single night 'choice flowers v;hich had-taken years to reach that pitch of perfection, but how many lives wero sacrificcd in collecting the plants from the swamps where they grew, and what a useless sScrifico that was as cornDared With the great benefits-which they hoped would como out of tho destruction of these orchids at Kew.?

The liev. R. B. Exton, of Edmonton, faid he nlwa.vs thought that there wns a parallel between the incidents of this movement and the nersecution ,of the parly Christians. If thp women would nledge themselves to allow themselves to be turned round the finder? of tlio politicians and vote as .they wanted lie did not believo any Government would refuse them tho vote; but because' the women were out for cleansing the political and social life of tho country it was refused to thnm. (Cheers.) That, to his mind, was tho crux'of the whole matter.