The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-12-31

AuH o0NGeAC "a LAbAtoh "oAHcH AL
suffrage. and their strenuous tactics
in attempting to force their demands
have won the admiration, If not the
Endorsement. OF their sisters across the
water. American women want the
franchise. that is. many do. and have
been for years carrying on an active
campaign TO gain their point. but pic
ture the American woman storming
the capitol building at Washington and
seeking by violence to gain the pres
ence of the members of congress.
But in England things are different
and when the women there want any
thing from parliament they go after
It in different way from that by
which her American sisters would.
And 1t really begins to look as though
a few determined British woman suf-
fragists are going to make parliament
give them what they want by means Of
tactics which. II employed by men,
would have not the remotest chance
Of success. The uffragists-Suffra-
gettes they call them in England--are
making a deliberate and well-organ-
lied attempt to shame and scare par
lament INTO granting votes to women.
When the cabled accounts Of the re-
cent actions OF the suffragettes at the
entrance to the house of commons
reached this country It looked as
though parliament and the law courts
had to deal only with a handful of
rather violent cranks. but this view
must now be considerably modified.
According to the latest dispatches
some OF the women who created a dis
orderly scene in the purlieus Of par
lament and later, on refusing to give
bonds for good behavior, were sent to
Holloway jail. are still in prison. There
is no occasion, however, for any great
amount of tears on their behalf. The
British government has ordered that
they be treated as "first-class misde-
meanants." which means that they
have all the comforts of home, and
that all they suffer is the loss of lib
erty to go out when they want to. II
they desire it they can even have their
pianos brought to their "cells," and
they can order their meals from the
best restaurant in London.
The women who have been making
what some of the London newspapers
have called "disgraceful scenes" are
by no means mere cranks. Most of
them are OF gentle birth. and num-
Der of them have attained prominence
in various avocations. One Of tho
women sent to jail is Mrs. Cobdep
Sanderson, wife of the celebrated ar
tist-bookbinder and daughter Of the
great Golden, who. with her sisters. is
well known as a pkilanthropist. An
other is Mrs. Pethick-Lawrence who
has done notable work on behalf Of
poor girls in the slums of London. A
third is Mrs. How-Martyn. a bachelor
Of science Of London university. to
gain which degree one must pass an
examination the stiffness Of which
is proverbial. Mrs. Montefiore, an
other Of the women sent to prison, is
we'll known as a writer, while Miss
Ellington is a school teacher. and Mrs.
Baldock is a member of the board Of
guardians and has become celebrated
for her efforts on behalf of the poor.
Mrs. Pankhurst, who, If not the lead
or Of the movement. has become per-
haps its most prominent exponent,
has served for several years as mem
Der Of the board Of guardians Of Man
chester. Miss Irene Miller is a daugh-
ter of Mrs. Florence Fenwick Miller.
the well-known journalist. speaker and
author. The mention Of Mrs. Miller
serves to recall the fact thatalthough
the suffragettes are having quite an
easy time of it in jail, they were not
at first treated as first-class misde-
meanants. and the news that they
were being subjected to the same in
dignities as ordinary prisoners drew
forth various bitter protests in let
ters to the London papers. Harrow
ing accounts Of what they had to en-
dure we're printed. and many were the
epithets applied to the government
for its cruelty" and "heartlessness.
Naturally conservative Englishmen
are horrlfed at the exhibition" the
sufragettes have been making Of
themselves. The Times was particu-
larly severe in its comments. It spoke
Of the "unseemly and disgraceful
scene" at the house Of commons, Of
the Outrageous conduct" of the wom-
On. and Of their pathetic confidence in
the mystical powers Of q banner" ("
The Times added that the whole affair
was excessively vulgar and silly /"
and that II offered "a very good object
lesson upon the unfitness Of women to
enter political life" Hysleria. 1t add
ed. .claimed even these gently born
women for its own just as II they we're
Of the rudest and most ignorant class.
And then It spoke Of the essential
liabilities imposed By the. feminine
organization" and the utter debase-
hent Of political life that would be
involved IN yielding to the clamor Of
such mob"