Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-12-05

Americans are much interested in
the struggle of English women for
suffrage, and their strenuous tactics
in attempting to force their demands
have won the admiration, II 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 a different way from that by
which her American sisters would.
And it 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, if employed by men,
would have not the remotest chance
of success. The suffragists-S uffra-
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 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 "drst-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.
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 a 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 philanthropist. 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. Montefore, an
other of the women sent to prison, is
well known as writer, while Miss
Ellington is 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
er Of the movement, has become per-
haps it's most prominent exponent,
has served for several years as mem
Der of the board of guardians of Man.
chester. Miss Irene Miller is 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 frst-class misde
meanants, and the news that they
were being subjected to the same in
digntties 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 were printed, and many were the
epithets applied to the government
for its '@cruelty" and 'heartlessness.
Naturally conservative Englishmer
are Mortified at the Exhibition" The
suffragettes have been making Of
themselves. The Times was particu
larly severe in it's comments. It spoke
of the "unseemly and disgracefn
scene" at the house of commons, O.
the Outrageous conduct" of the WON
en-, and of their pathetic confidence IL
the mystical powers Of banner
The Times added that the whole affair
was excessively vulgar and silly
and that it offered "a very good objec
~|1c~ss-~''acrs s-a'|a(> ~es.s|U\rss
First Steam Ferry.
The great ferryboats that now ply
between cities on ! hdewater river,
owe their origin to a little vessse
constructed by John Stevens, the. ia
nous engineer and inventor. To tn,
same man is due the honor Of devils
! ing and starting the first steam ferr!
In the world. ~ - r.. - -.>:
Seeing John Fitch's imperfect steam
| boat at. New York IN 1881, Stevens a
once: became Interested In the subjec
4 OF navigation by steam power, and 70
i nearly 80 years he conducted expert
-.