The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-11-08
English Woman Declares
American Women Can Only
Get Ballot by Fighting.
is NOT MANNISH,
BUT DETERMINED
Suffragette Leader Talks About
Movement That Has Grown So
Rapidly in Britain.

LONDON. Nov. IF American
women want the ballot they must nghs
for it,"
That's Mrs. Emmeline Pankhursts
idea,
Mrs. Pankhurst is entitled to speak
with authority She has had plenty Of
experience. and is now undergoing a
three months prison sentence for play
ing a leading part in the sunragette
not or October Is.
As president OF the English militant
equal rights organizatiUn-the Women's
Social and Political Union Is its Official
tftIe-hghting has been her BUSINESS for
the past three years.
When she says fight" Mrs. Pank-
hurst means II literally. She has al
ready served two prison terms for tax
ing part in surfraEette demonstrations
Women who believe in equal rights
must make their propaganda the burn
ing political question OF the hour Mrs.
Pankhurst goes on 10 advise hC- Amer
lean sisters
1--WE found in England AFTER long eN-
perience. that peaceful attempts 10 get
the ballot were az utter failure, They
had been given a fair TRAITOR more
than forty years.
Improves Plans.
SO a few Of us sat down to consider
how we could improve our plans. Meet
ings and canvasses We're very little
good; peaceful argument no good at all
Cabinet ministers and members of
parliament assured us the suffrage ques-
tion was purely academic They
wouldn't notice us.
ssTE. y4zravv,Fr-4 4l--F-
ton AZ any cost: 20 make them realize
that our cause takes precedence over
all others. We began by interrupting
meetings and compelling ministers TO
tell US, straight ont, whether they In
tended to give US our rights
This was good. 50 far As it went. hut
We soon found that political promises
We're easily broken. Nothing was left
70 rs but TO force the government to
a-cede TO our demands even against its
viii
Accordingly. we took to fighting anti
equal rights candidates at every cleo
ton. Our efforts have beaten them
time after time.
Our Populations began waiting on the
premier. He refused TO see them, 90 we
went TO the house OF commons in force.
Police Called Out.
1.-The ministers called out thousands
OF police and kept rs out. That's why
we asked L0ndOners to help rush the
house on October 13 that we might
make our demands on the floor
THE newspapers tell us that we fail
"a. We say that our efforts thus far
have been uniformly successful. At our
last demonstration we brought 10000
people 10 the houses OF parliament and
besieged them for hours.
NO one can deny that we have made
votes for women the issue Of the day
an issue debated by politicians when
ever two or three ind themselves to-
gether.
ministers know they cannot SUD
press Us without giving us what we
want. They know there viii not be a
moments peace for them until they do.
''This IS why I advise American wom-
en- 70 adopt our English methods.
They are just where we we're two
or three years ago. Let them assure
themselves that academic arguments
viii rot take them an inch closer to
their goal.
Men have never effected a political
reform without the use of force. OF at
least, threats Of force
When these things are understood
q VIII not be long before women every
where viii enjoy the franchise and
every other right enjoyed by men"
Is Not Mannish.
Mrs. Pankhurst doesn't tvpifv the
popular notion OF a suffragette. There
is nothing maunish about her. She
is the widow OF a Manchester physician
a man long regarded as eccentric.
but highly respected and admittedly
Of the broadest intellectual attain
ments.
Her two Daughters. ~ristabel and Svl-
via, are as enthusiastic and as militant
suffrasettes as their mother. Both are
remarkably pretty young women
Girls label has been so vigorous in her
equal rights campaigning as rather TO
throw her sister into the shade. some
think her destined to be a greater lead
er even than her mother She has
taken numerous university degrees and
has had several jail experiences. one
or which she Is now undergoing
The PankHUrstS say they d1n'f Ifka
The Kind of Vy9rFe ra 4hazy a-a -,-...-.-r4-.-g