The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-19
.SISTERHOOD OF
SUFFRAGETTES
Militant Members Attempt to
Present Petition 10 Pre-
mier ASquith.
BATTLE WITH THE POLICE
WOMEN ROUGHLY HANDLED AND
MANY OF THEM ARRESTED.

London. Feb. lS.-The suffragettes failed
today in their attempt to present TO Pre-
mier Asquith the resolution adopted at
yesterdays meeting of the Wonien's Free
dom league, declaring for a continuation
of the militant propaganda for suffrage
The police had completely blocked all
entrances to Downing street and twenty
of the more militant suffragettes who
tried to break through the lines were ar
rested, charged with interfering with the
police. For a time there was a scene of
great disorder, women time and again
throwing themselves Valiantly against the
double line of police only TO be forced
back, or if they were unusually persistent,
to be handed over to constables, who
marched them off to the police station
amid cheers. boots and Kisses from the
throng The women who were taken into INTO
custody were later arraigned in a police
court. They refused to pay the fines i'm
posed and all were sent TO prison for
terms varying from a fortnight TO a
month.
None of the Leaders Arrested.
None Of the women prominent in the
suffTagist movement is among those ar
rested today.
Mrs. and Miss Pankhurst and the other
leaders who were only recently released
from Jail are holding themselves in re-
serve, and the woman taken into custody
today are mostly from Glasgow, Man
chester, Birmingham and elsewhere in the
provinces.
Although the raid on Downing street
lasted not more than ten minutes, # pro-
vided the watching crowd with consider
able excitement. The projected attempt
to deliver the resolutions to Premier As
quith had been advertised before hand
and the police had consequently placed
the street on which the residences of the
state minister are located i'm a state of
siege.
Officers mounted and on foot we're
everywhere, but in spite Of the hopeless
ness of a successful outcome the deter
mined women charged the lines of stall
hesitation. Finally the policemen became
exasperated at the persistence of the
struggling women, and they were none to
tender in the way they handled their as
sailants. Hats. furs and blouses came
away In the scrimmage.
Scotch Women Used Fists.
Several big Scotch women were OBJ
served actively using their fists on the
police, but the unequal battle could not
last long and the women who had not
fallen into the hands of the constables
eventually retreated to Caxton hall The
suffragettes promise that there shall be
no cessation of activity. They appeared
I'm large numbers at the tuberculosis exhi-
bitiOn opened by Earl CarDingtOn this af-
ternoon and the earl was unable TO speak
until half a dozen of them had been
elected. The suffragettes met again this
afternoon in Caxton hall. Carrie Nation
was among those present Mrs. Despard
made report on progress. She said the
suffragettes were going to continue to
spread their protests as the only means Of
securing their demands. Plans for the
future were being formulated. and these
would be thoroughly democratic in char
acter. The present movement was criti-
cal and every one, men and women. must
do their utmost. as the interests of men
and the interests Of women could not be
separated. In conclusion Mrs. Despard
said she did not know how long it would
take the government to understand that
the women meant what they said. Five
hundred of them had been imprisoned al
ready, she declared. and they would con
tinue tn be imprisoned until they were
given what they wanted.