The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1913. WOMEN AND THE VOTE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1928, 10 December 1913, Page 4

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1913. WOMEN AND THE VOTE.

It is possible that tho women of 'the United Kingdom would bo in possession of tho Parliamentary franchise <it tho present time if ft had not been for the campaign of lawlessness for which the militant Suffragettes have been responsible. Their disorderly conduct in churches and at public meetings, their wanton destruction of property, and other lawless and uncdifying exhibitions have alienated the sympathies of a. large section of the womanhood of the country and disgusted the general public, besides giving rise to a strong feeling among members of Parliament that it would be a bad thing to allow an army of | wild .women to extort tho right to vote by reckless threats and deeds of violence. The militant Suffragettes must not_ think that they can enforce their claim to have a voice in making the law by deliberately breaking tholaw. This anarchistic 1 section is doing more to hinder the progress of the. movement "than those people who for various reasons think that women ought not to be given the franchise. There are, of course, thousands of women in Britain who are agitating on perfectly proper and legitimate lines for the privilege of voting, and it is unfortunate that their efforts should be hampered and their cause prejudiced by the intolerable methods of those who think that victory can be won by tlio open defiance of the law of the land. The militant party have thrown aside ail regard for womanliness in (lioir campaign, and at the same time they have taken every advantage of thai; sense of chivalry among men which deters them from adopting extreme measures in meting out punishment to the weaker sex. It is all very well for clergymen and others to protest against forcible feeding. Put. what are the authorities to do?°Thero would be a great outcry if these women were' allowed to die of starvation; and yet they cannot be permitted to break the law in the most outrageous way and go unpunished. Those who contend that' forcible feeding is torture, do not appear to be able to suggest a satisfactory alternative. The latest English papers contain reference? to an endeavour to brine

about a truce from militantism in order to give the more reasonable section _of the movement a better opportunity of bringing pressure to bear on Parliament in favour of a Suffrage Bill. In a letter to the /'lines the Bishop of Winchester (Dr. Talbot) makes an earnest appeal to men and women of goodwill with the object of bringiwr about an amnesty. He suggests that the slate should bo cleared and a new chapter in the history of tho movement opened so that a frank and sympathetic treatment of practical proposals for the betterment of

woman's, position may be made possible. The matter should bo regarded as "a_ first-rate political question for solution outside controversies of political parties." The Bishop thinks that this would be acceptable to the non-rnilitant Suffragists, and urges the militants to consider the advisablencss of converting public opinion instead of defying it. Ono thing indispensable would be a definite prospect of the introduction of a Bill "as a first-class measure in some such way that, by referendum or otherwise, the real opinion of the country may be ascertained upon it." On those grounds Dr. Talbot makes an appeal for a "Truce of God for the blessing and benefit alike of men and_ women, and for the relief of an inflamed and most unwholesome condition of our common life." The Bishop's letter does not appear to havo evoked a definite reply from the lawless section; but Mes. Henry Fawcett, president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, speaking on behalf of the non-militant Suffragists, expressed the determination that no effort would be wanting on their part in support of the proposed truce. She was, however, of opinion that a Bill on party lines without the support of the party machine would be futile and would only lead to renewed disappointment' and anger. She states that the Bill should be backed by the Government and have the driving power of the party behind it. Tho British public is sick and tired of the Suffragette campaign, and there is good reason to believe that if the' extremists would refrain from acts of violence and outrage the demand for the extension of the franchise to women would receive the sympathetic consideration of Parliament. ■ Mits. Pankhurst's recent trip to America was not.a success from tho militant point of view, though it stirred up a good deal of discussion on the. woman's suffrage question. Many of the leaders of the movement in the United States were not at all enthusiastic over the visit, fearing that it would stir up hostility and do more harm than good. Be. Anna Shaw stated that the American _ Suffragists at present ought to focus all their attention on their own work and ■ methods, whereas Mrs. Pankhurst would distract attention to other methods. The idea, of a militant campaign was generally ridiculed, and although Mes. Paxkhurst's sayings and doings naturally attracted a good deal of attention her mission was on the whole a failure. The American movement differs from that on the other side of the Atlantic in at least one very important particular. Tho S_uffragists_ may secure the recognition of their claims in one State after another, whereas in Britain tho piecemeal method is impossible, and the whole nation has to bo swayed before any practical results can bc_ achieved. In both countries tho agitation is meeting with mnebJ opposition both among tho men and the women, and the only reasonable way to make progress is by convincing a, majority of. tho people that the proposed change would be for the general good, or at anyratc that it would not be harmful.' It is a pity that so many otherwise respectable and law-abiding women should think that they can only get their way. by methods of barbarism, when the end they are aiming at has been achieved in other countries by appeals to reason and the sense of justice. 'It is to be hoped that in Britain the militants will see the advisaMovioss of a change of tactics and of adopting the more sensible way of proving that thr-v have right and reason on their side. By so doing they will do much to conciliate their onponcnts and allay the fears of those who think that the granting of woman's franchise would have revolutionary consequences. It h;>s not had any such alarming results in Australia and New Zealand, and its adoption would not be likely to turn things upside down in Britain or America.