Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-03-20

ridicule, yet always more and more
women joining the union and ready t
do all manner Of disagreeable worl
for the cause, and always more money
pouring in from those ready to helr
with funds If they were too timid tC
contribute personal martyrdom. Il
should be explained that the martyr.
dom" Of the Suffragettes is all purely
voluntary. Not one of them has ever
received a sentence Of Imprisonment
First offenders are ordered to fur
nish bonds to keep the peace or in de-
fault to go to Jail for three or six
weeks. Second and third offenders
are fined from ten to twenty-five dol
lars or sentenced to a month impris-
onment in case Of non-payment. In
almost all cases the offenders have
preferred to go to prison. 1t will be
observed that the curious anomaly has
arisen that second and third offenders
get a shorter term Of imprisonment
than those who are merely required
to furnish recognizances for their
good behavior.
With the closing Of parliament last
summer came temporary lull in Suf-
fragette warfare in London, but Mrs
Pankhurst and her three daughters
organized bands Of women who trav-
eled all over England and talked
woman suffrage and the treachery OF
the Liberal party everywhere. And
it was easy to find women who were
willing to go into factories and schools
and churches to talk to their sisters
on the rights of women to citizenship,
on the injustice of taxation without
representation, ETC., with always a de-
nunciation Of the Liberal party, which
had betrayed womanhood and broken
promises.
Many Of the women agitators paid
their own expenses during this coun-
try campaigning and the others were
provided for by the society Every
where enthusiasts joined the suffragist
ranks; from north of England homes,
ings and places came women to enroll
themselves with the Suffragettes.
In London a league Of men was
formed. Among the members are
Lord Russell, Israel Zangwill, the
Rev. r. ]. Campbell, Alderman San
derson and many other men promi-
nent in various walks of life. Some of
these supporters Of the movement are
not altogether in sympathy with the
methods of Mrs. Pankhurst and her
followers.
In every bye-election before the
opening Of the present session Of par
lament the Liberals were defeated
overwhelmingly. "a desire for tariff
REFORM" say the politicians. "Our
agitation for the enfranchisement of
woman" say the Suffragettes. What
ever the cause, undoubtedly the never
ceasing campaigning Of the leaders of
the w. S. P. U. has had it's effect.
With the opening Of parliament
came more demonstrations. more agi-
tations. Two women tried to present
petition to the king as the royal pro-
cession was on it's way to the house
Of lords. Then came appeals to AS
quith, Haldane. Birrell, Gladstone,
anybody, to receive deputations of
women. All refused.
Finally Mr.. Asquith consented to
see a committee Of women from the
various unions working for woman
suffrage. He fatty refused his help,
saying, During this parliament hope
nothing from u.s."
When this decision was published
frantic agitation followed from the
Suffragettes. They rang cabinet
ministers doorbells at nine in the
morning demanding interviews, and
then chained themselves to the rail-
ings so that the police could not ar
rest them without great difficulty.
They attempted to enter the prime
minister's house, and every day ar
rests have been made, and women OF
gentle birth and gently nurtured have
gone off to Holloway Jail to serve
three weeks sentences in the second
division with prison clothes, prison
fare, no books, no papers, nothing to
do but sew on the kings mail bags in
the semi obscurity Of a prison cell.
The great hope now is to get an
other bill through parliament before
this government goes out. With this
in view the workers at the W. S. P.
L. and indeed all the other unions
never relax one moment.
They keep their case before the
public night and day. Ridicule,
scorn, mockery-they invite all that,
if only the people will think Of them,
talk of them, write of them, so that
whether women may have the suffrage
shall become a burning national ques-
ton which cannot be ignored.
The Suffragettes justify their acts
of absurdty by the argument "All
you say about ridicule is true, but is
not our cause more talked of and
written Of than ever before?" And Of
course it is.
In regard to the women who are
carrying on all this semi-humorous,
deeply serious campaign against this
government and all other govern
ments that will not give them what
they demand there Is tremendous
difference in personally, position in
life, temperament.
First there is Mrs. Pankhurst,
whose general character has been
sketched She has now gone to prison
with about sixty of her followers. Then
there are her three daughters, Christa-
BEL Adela and Sylvia.
Christabel has been the moving
factor in all this womens campaign.
Young, pretty, clever, with a keen
sense of humor and mind undaunt-
ed by any amount of Encouragement,
she is the bulwark Of her sister work.
ers
A qualified lawyer, an able speaker
and writer, she never fails to interest
an audience by partly amusing them.
Many of her speeches have been made
o;n haUa