Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-15
VOTES FOR WOMEN.
KIN ENGLAND.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

are not compelled to wear prison clothes
or to associate with criminals while un-
dergoing their sentences. The authorities
to the suffragettes. They were placed
upon the level with criminals and treated
with even less leniency.
There seemed no other way for these
women to show that they really wanted
the ballot
No Other Way to Show than by in
Desire for the Ballot. s s,sns , u
or, perhaps. by flinging their message
wrapped around stone into a meeting
from which they were excluded, and now
that they feel that the promises made to
them have been broken there is no means
of knowing how large will be the army
OF women who will go to any length in
voicing their protest, facing prison and
even death If need be-
while there is no doubt but. that some
Of the suffragettes resorted to window
smashing and other property destruction,
most Of the reports Of suffragette out
breaks have been either greatly exagger
ated or totally fabricated. In many of
the cases where women have been sent
to prison, they have been victims rather
than aggressors. Among the newest
stories which have crossed the. Atlantic
regarding the way such reports are Gre
ated is one of a militant suffrage lady who
went to the house where a cabinet Of
ficer was dining to ask him one question
AS she was on visiting terms with the
hostess, she was readily admitted spoke
quietly to the cabinet officer and with
drew without any notice having been TAX
en- OF her by most Of the other guests in
the drawing room. The next morning
the anti-suffrage papers came out with
the story that a suffragette had again
intimidated a cabinet officer, forcing her
way into private house. where he was
dining, and so startling him that he was
pale and trembling with. fright before
she could be removed. This last state
ment. by the way, is hardly creditabIe to
the Wanted courage of Englishmen es-
pecfally as the lady in question was of
dimlnutive size and Of the timid, shrink
ing type.
The demand for woman suffrage in
England has done much to break down
class distinction among Englishwomen
Inc lady OF title stands side by side with
street corner meeting, and they have a
common bond between them The Eng
fish sufragiSts of every class celebrated
the victory in California enthusiastically.
Mrs. May Wright Sewall tells Of q cook
who. to surprise her mistress sent up a
pudding for luncheon lettered Votes for
women while the parlor maid that same
afternoon decorated the tea table with
the American flag
4 X
There are now two bodies Of women
suffragettes
Two Bodies in England follow
Working for Suffrage. 'neir own
do also the members Of the Non-militant
Suffrage Association, which is working
just as actively along the same lines
which are slowly but surely enfranchis-
ing the women of the United States. It
must not be supposed that there Is any
antagonism between them, however. Miss
/ A. Maude Royden, a member OF the
executive committee of England's Ma
tional Union of Woman's Suffrage So
cieties; is now in this country upon an
extended lecture tour under suffrage
auspices. Miss Royden states emphatically
that she does not in any way desire to
offset Mrs. Pankhurst's influence in
America The only distinction between
the non-militant and the militant is based
on constitutional and unconstitutional
methods Of work. said Miss Royden.
The non-militant will not commit any
infringement of the law. Miss ROyden
is a lecturer for the Oxford University
extension delegacy, and personally be-
lieves that 1T is constitutional for women
to refuse to pay taxes until they are en-
franchsed.
"One OF. the things that must commend
themselves to thinking people is the strong
support that the. suffragetteS receive
from their families, including their hus-
bands. Mr.. Pethick-LaWrence, whose
wife, an active suffragette, was recently
sentenced to a term in jail. supports her
ardently and almost the same week
stood up and addressed suffrage meet
ing and contributed 5000 to the cause.
Several times before this he had put
like sum into the women's war chest.
Other husbands, including one alderman,
contribute literally whenever their
wives are taking part in an active demon
stration. The husband Of Mrs. Mary
Leigh is ship steward noted for his
physical strength. II he desires to ask
an inconvenient question of a cabinet Of
ficer at q public meeting, he first gets
his back against the wall. position
from which the ushers have the greatest
difficulty in removing him. His wife was
one Of the first Of those who underwent
imprisonment for alleged window i,
smashing. Mr.. Alfred Hawkins is an
other husband who indorses the militant
measures Of his suffragette wife. He is
an old man with a medal for valiant
service in the navy. When his leg was
broken by ruffianly anti -sufragists |
he persisted in wearing his Votes for
women badge in the hospital and talked |
suffrage to every doctor and nurse who
came near him."