EDITORIAL.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10348, 24 April 1911, Page 4

EDITORIAL.

A CENSUS BOYCOTT.

The decision of the British suffragette to "Iboycott" the censu sseuis likely to cause the Imperial authorities a good deal of trouble The leaders of the movement have announced that they regard! the talking of the ciensus in April as furnishing an excellent opportunity to illustrate the stupidity of a social system that dees not give women the rights of citizenshipl. "We shall prove," saidl Mrs Despard in the course of an address last month, "whether theie is a people without the women. We shall call upon Women householders and women lodgers all over the country to refuse absolutely all information, when the censusi-takers come round. Women have been proud in the past tot' belong to the nation ; but we harrte !been deoield our citizenship. Is it not logical, then, that; we should say that if wei are not to be regarded as citizens, wa shall not register curselves as citizens? That will be our protest, and it will prove an effective one." Mrs Dtespard showed j?ery little logic, as a matter of fact, because the census^wfficei 1 wants a list of the inhabitants 1 of the ciountry, men, women, and children, and the computation has no connection at all with the right to vote at Farliamenary elections. There seiemis to We some ground! for fearing, however, that the" "boycott" sdieme will prove attractive to a large body of suffr'aglcttefc). The militant campaign is to be pursiuied vigorously if Mr Asquith does not consent to -the full discussion ol the Conciliation Bill during the present session. The sufrVagfeittes haye 1 announced! that they propose to "oTostnict Government business and make other protests." They will refuse even to pay taxm Mrs Despardl has had portions of her house; furniture sold at auction by the Court authorities on two occasions Bemuse she would not pay taxes, and she is clourting a repetition of the trouble this year. The suffragettes certainly . possess! the courage of their convictions.