THE SUFFRACETTES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2177, 17 June 1914, Page 8

THE SUFFRACETTES.

Sir,~ I think. tlife- faltering ■words of Floteftee N : igivtii>g?ife .are a good answer to year fttMcto of this moMiing. • Jti the "Life, of Florence Xigbtineale." her biographer, Sir E, T. Cook. describing' Mi" attitude towards the fight tor Italian liberty, writes:— it <i cs P«ial!.v indignant at tho 'a Ik which she- beard .on all attics jir cultivated society at Home about (he vfl.ndalism of ilio jjflniaiis iii 'fisptgiiig tjieif .precious monuments to iiijsnttlfe ■Site loved those monuments, as. wo have sG^n; hut if the defeiK® of JRojiio ncainst th.e. French 'required... it, she wonltj have, .beftn ready' to wo them all levelled, to the ground. They roust, ■carry out their defrnce to the last,' ,#!ie cried. .'J should like to see them fight the streets, inch V inch, till' the last man dies at ..his barricade, till Si. Fetor's is ' level with the crouud, till the Vatiaan'is: Moiyfr infe/thc air. ■, ■ If I wore. in Itome I should be 1 the first to fire the Sistino turning mv head aside, and Michael Angelo would say, "Well done," as he saw his 1 work destroyed." " ■• If Flotenre 'Jfightiingjflo- were, alive new .sbo. would say that the militants wore right in destroying property in tfc war against ilio.barbaric conditions of society which are responsible for keening ■ wom?n lit bonds ar.d- ■■ their children wider cruelties and brutalities unspeakable. ,

Tin; cablegrams off the past 'few .tlaxs idi.ow }iow .ib'satotfiiy tu.ir.eliahi.a the Yellow Press can .lie.' .The Yellow iP.iress , tried rome tiriio apoio-make out that : ' the milj'tft«i.s, were paM. Common sense would prove to a'njflnje. that women are not. likolv to mlc■ th.eir fees • for nibniSy,! It is orilvtlro burning sense'of iniiish'ce. .mder which women 'and their children suffer which. would.' lead any woman to risk iyridilhtct'—"tiilb iaSwljeSy which-' tbiy ' chivalrous ponan- Deyle and Ms tyixi of man wishes to apply to the ir.il!- ; tjiiite.. As ' to the' &'estjßont of the prisoners, Httiftsteict; from the Poriu<l»ese newspaper "O ' Seculo." shows: whs'. other coiml ric.s think of Britain's kindness 'to ill's' A car- ' toon, showing, a woman heiiv* forcibly fed is accompanied by the •followin";— "Apropos of thn Kcyalist • cptiipaiftn. women in Eri/th'sli' prisons: 'What the TKiShesa ~<rf' Bedford cannot 50? in _ I '.er own country, whilst she is horrified with wlint she. saw in TVrtnpsl. Apropos of the .caSv.pajgh' of' the Duchess' «-f ■RedWl, wlie, r.s : oiie knows, is once fltore repealing' her vapourinps. Thoiif. tijo cruelties -trf' s6 says' th; s ' Jlhtstrions lady,! flp'' no.H.ti'-.'tl ■ Jirissiter-s' are subjected, A TWti.sh cKiSten> awl as suchh£ ,ts r\hbve . calls the. attention of the 'Sccuk''_ t : .> the tortures which in fact" arc practised in a prison tor'w<t>ny>n in England .''ami are irimitelv de'^nheft' hv g. ■ vfetiiii v.dio' underwent them • in • 'The Stiff ra!Xetle'' recently. At flic same time, a picture has bcenscnt-' tn 116 ■ ■vhich -we 1 -(hir co.r've&xifliV-dr-nf ■ r'iirhtlv contra?! s the -. nvaiiuer in which ' Hie Republican- , rcq-.me in Porhir.al treats its prisoners, who do. 11 "A suffer any torture-, vhntscever, wWb. wTrs-t. #fccuts 111 ph'febitV fegfeii' i^isoivr ots n=fo tortured- ■ Kti' eionld; lilij-fMIiS ' ij>'\ Portuguese 'linftiW. tha'. ■ would apnroximate ■nitti's-sjes," ■'. • . If anv of yonr readers are under the iinjites'sion that Suffragettes nro no't : tortured iii Enelislf prisons,, t-liey hav« ; rtnlv to -re id "Prisoiifi 'ind Prisoners" 1 x Ltdy Constance L\ ttcn, wliicli is ohtiinh'ile in Noiv Jlanv maw meel.ums ha-ve leon li.el.d. ■ hv Suffraeisi-s wlifch wore addicted hv leadinc nishons, cleicv, politic inns, doctors and University pro.fes* r.c.rs.: to protest asainsf the brutarit.y of the. British Govemmeul 's ( roatnie'i.i ■ of women pelitica! opponenis who are. working fW the ; v'o.fe : s. Tliei' oiily r'e'm'cd.v for violence and outrages, against; nronerty is to pi've women, tile vole. It is lojifl; overdue, as Hilis for -noman s.tftTraije have heeir passed by lifipe. 111,1- : . ioritie.s ir. the House of CommoitK for 'over t'lVeiity J'ears. One does not expcftt' men io. he i.on'if. <ral —i'froiuiul knoiv thej! arc- only 59 by j

tradition, btti. not ill fact—but eommoti iii'stifie should make men ■s.eo that ilia only remedy is the vote. Oh! (Jive the v.tito while women nro committing m:tragos, etc.. Why not ? Tho liritish Government is malum: concessions to Sir JCd<ivard Carson and the Unionist, rebels-. Besides, there are only about, ewe hundred activc mi Wants and ten. millions of somen who art? on titled to Vote iii T!titp:i ji. Til ore arb mo;r? r than ejjfl hundred mon tv-hp have committed, murder and thousands who 1 ha\<?. dono. worse--coin>nitfed outrages on children olid young girls—and 1.1:0 0110 proposes to taiio the voto from men, bcciutso of the criminality of some won. Surely 'he British Parliament is not so .stupid 'hat it cannot insert a clause in. .tho Franchise Hill, to oxeludo tlio women who have committed out rages. Tno W .5.1'.1!, mado the propoesil years ago that tho 'Government should <:Xcludo i.'iem, though men do not lose their voto for commuting outrages. Tho Govc-rn-iiiiJOt, by w-itljlioldJi.tfC tho voto on tjio protest of iiiihtanoy, aro punishing tho : svomfiji .who Wo working, and have ireen working, for tho voto far ■fifty years, Tho excuse is absolutely oiiJiifis!:! ®iid. Ati inc'eiuivo to more militancy.. _ _ ;• tonstitut'foija! meoiiii of agita* tion has .been. ignored-. Even tlio perfcclly Jegiil petition to tho King svas . disallowed; This Bill o.t Eights states that who prevents any of tlio iv.lll.R s ftvihjerts from presenting a. pot it'roii i.s acting illegally and liabfo to imp ] pnsonmont. ' Thg ■ briilality of the opponents i ot tho voto who attacked tho dcP u ' 3 'j? tt to 'ho King is shown by tho (.'abledjstatiMnent. that Miss Billinghurst, the well-=known Sllfff.sg.ette;, was recognised and -severely maltreated by tho crowd of roughs. . IVliss Billinghiirsi is a crippled lain', no longer young, who propels, herself. in a wheeled chair. If tho report is triio that, mon maltreated to. cQiild'brutatiy "go further? ; At a former deputation' lilis's; Bitlinghurst's ■ chair was ove.rtuniod and"she 'was kicked aad struck by roughs who were not arrested and! ..ntj daubi tlia: satiio Chivalry iva® displayed at tho. deputation 1o . the Kmc; to a helpless cripple. When mifi. roads tho horrors, to which women ■ aro subjected in miking constitutional demands, can vvr? woiidor at jnilitancv" Iho Editor of tho "Church League . for wsniop. S(f®afio'' paper, to hand, in an article which shows that tho groat' aim. of the woman's, movement is tl;o ; solution of social ovils, Writes: "To win 'hat power (to deal with those, evils) ■CCin'.Etjtwt'iOiial frotvieu -hfiv-e. laljoufodj and have ;nnt ffiintod.. carrying an ag.k tat ion which.lias iC.xteiidod, over -li alf century, and was 'ivever more active ■ thq,;ii .'tfl.-d'ay. To 'wiii thai :.ps'w.igf iiiili- : taut women hove . had . recourse to i methods as liaWul to them as thov aro intolerable to society, and paid the peit--ilty of imprisonment imd death. Tiu> longing for power In make this world a. better • world tor man's brief earthly dwelling is ~ tho main i oiiHil.s.o of l.ho movomont, - ' Tho Chufch Leamio roff.seia to ;ondemn. militancy, b'uti'l cor.domns the Govorumoni 101* its brutaiit v . to womon and delay in graiitiiTg a legmraatc and moasuro of 'justico to wcnicn. 'Hie lo.aguo hits inaiiCu.rated a "continuous interer-ssion." ■ i.'ilttirt and day, for God's blessing'fiiv.'ii'l], '. iaiihl'ul service, ill. tho cause o.V womait- ■ hood—wh.ieh is tho. cause of humanity— for God's.cotnfort- and ;do,lryeranc,f- for . ajl wiio are oppressed by wrqiif..'" Tho forces ajiaiust the wonian's niovomciil are tjiip White Slave traffic, the drink traffic, the. sweating of wonn'ir and eliihl : workers, and all the powers of diu kiiesfs and evil which degrade: humaniiy ' aiwl exploit, .'Wp'nieii for iiliiTiieial gafii. These aro the rulers of tho I'ress and . the Govorniiion.t of Britain, which is itself 0110 of tho worst exploiters of >voii)en's.. labour, ' . ..' Tlio StVipiditv of ineit and wohie'n who ! can not discriminato bet noon tho truth and falsehood of tl;o Yellow Press cabli>Srams makes oris ssbatnod of One's countrymen-. • Christabol ' Panklnirst s a dei.'ial of the report that she. was asked by tlio iiolico in Paris to jt'tspend militaivcy 'during tho Kind's . visit. Sh(> v. rites that _ "it is ocjuafly. untrue, that they have in any way riy stricu;;! her complete, freedom of action," .

It s.eems strange ihat ,vmi, -sir, and other editors, cannot seiS any harm in students undressing, a voi.mg girl in iho stefecta). smashing, and destroying ilw offices of . brutally assaulting women <md bchavi'.vg in a riotous ■iiiamijr, Liberal ■ row ;ind .rioUuis •students are ovidcntJ.V to be permitted to. commit. assaults upon women with whose opinions they disagree. ITi'.-y 11ad no grievance personally: against Ih'o Suffragettes, but the Btiiislt Government has allowed it to bo understood that women aro to lve assaidtod ivi'i-h and X<nv Zealand editors think it. quite rigli't-, if the vietims riro women. If ij ■ iiisii committed •.m'tircier,' ■yoii, sir. would disapprove of rcialiatiou by students aim hoodlums. loiters from England from non-mili-tanfc Suffragettes prove. that the causes has the sympathy, of all thinking men and women, and that it is becoming •stronger every day'. Sir. MasteriiKm's defeat at the polls W'h;®'d'tio to tiro Suffragettes a'lTtj'/gi.ffllragists., and to iSlisir eifofiiS alone; Tho consiituoiKV was ta.ken possession of by women, who secured nit the best balls and had the.. largest meetings." Tho Govorfmieiifc' knows : that every defeat ihey have suffered was due to the Suffragists, a lid thai' neither Home Rttlo nor Insurance Act was responsible. Woman Suffrage is the question, of tho day*, and the question which, cannot bo ignored by any candidate for ti;.e British ,Parliament.. 1.11 1 comparison. Horns ' Kulo is "a storm in a teapot. 1 ' V' The boycott and misrepresentation by tho Yellow Press have been ovcrromo by i.ho ten.'or twelvc Suffrage papers which are sold in the streets all.over the T'niled. Kingdom. ThoJ-'ress is furious, and tho heathen rage, buttheir rage, only ' strengthens tise movement, and firings tho trutTi hdi'ue to thousands. of hew re«r.uits. The remedy. {or viQ'lc.ii'ee, ii not. oocrciori. but justice, and the vote. It, is sinipio enough, and we hi .Yew Zeal,and have found it quite harmless, s-o cannot understand wbv liie groat British Parliament. is afraid of women. —I am, ■ . a suffragette. {Our' correspondent is quite entitled to her own opinions on i.ln> Suffragette movMmcnt. but we miisi. dcciine $0 ccpt Iter interpretation of our views 011 !'( ; ''«!t outrae.es. i : .