New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-12
BY Ida Hustled Harner.

China We have always been doubtful
as to the granting of the franchise TO the
women there under the new constitutional
government, and 30 when Mrs Carrie
Chapman Gait. Of New York, president OF
the International Woman Suffrage ALI
ance, started on her tour around the world
\ the injunction was laid upon her TO find
out the truth. This she has done, and she
tells the interesting story In THE Wom-
| ans Journal" She has been accompanied
on her eighteen months trip by DR.. Aletta
Jacobs. Of Amsterdam, who won the night
for women to practise medicine IN the
Netherlands and has long been one OF the
leading physicians there. Equipped with
many letters of introduction from Manila.
they went to Hong Kong, and here they
Were assured by American and Dutch con-
suls and prominent Chinese officials that
there was no foundation for the sensa-
tional report about women in politics.
Belonging to the class Of modern wom-
en- who do not accept all information
second hand-a class by no means con-
fined to the United States-they started,
in spite of warning, on the ninety-miie
trip up the river to Canton, the centre OF
| the revolution. in a boat protected by
armed guards. They were carried to their
hotel in sedan chairs through rows of
| soldiers, and later in the same fashion
started out with a guide to present their
letters of introduction from Hong Kong,
| Among the recipients were American,
Italian and Chinese physicians, two prin-
cipals Of large schools, two heads OF hos
pitals and two leading missionaries. All
had lived there since before the revolu-
ton, and they did not know where the
provisional assembly was sitting, but they
were absolutely sure no woman had voted
for its members or been elected as one OF
them.
From end TO end and side to side OF
the six square miles Of Canton the two
women made their way through the mar
row streets, and at last on clew In the
letter OF the Dutch Consul they found
the assembly OF the province OF Canton,
and from a seat in the gallery looked
down on It's 120 members, nine OF them
women Ten had been elected, nine Con-
fucians and one Christian, whose mother
thought there was too much publicity In
II and so has sent her TO college In the
United States.
There they were, the men dressed In
gowns and the women In trousers. several
Of them with the bound feet. The pre-
siding officer and secretary were on
platfor1n. the members seated In a SEMI
circle before them, all very dignihed ana
earnest. rising vote was taken on
every question, and the visitors noticed
that the women did not all vote alike.
Some Of them were teachers, some stu
dents in government normal schools, sew
erai wives Of officers and prominent mer-
chants. Later they met some OF the wom-
en- and the men members, the latter speak
ing English, at supper given for them
in the beautiful home Of the chairman or
the Tung Mong Hui Omitted Sworn so
ciefy), founded fifteen years ago by DIT.
Sun Yat-sen. II was. a large and infu-
entail secret society, whose primary oo-
feet was the overthrow OF the Manchus,
and women were received on terms OF
equality. After the revolution this So
ciety arranged for the election OF the as
sernbly, allowing women 10 vote, and pro-
vided that ten should be elected. Whetne-
such a situation exists elsewhere In CHINA
the intrepid explorers are now trying to
find out
The English and Irish Situation.
The British Parliament has begun It's
autumn session, and before this is read
there will probably be an upronr over tho
determination of Premier Asquith TO put
a time limit and force vote on the
Home Rule bill. Seventeen days have al
ready been spent on II, and he purposes
N allow thirty-two more-seven weeks
altogether When, after years Of delay.
ore week was granted last spring to a
discussion Of the woman suffrage Dill the
Irish members forced IL TO vote after
two days and eli but three out OF the
forty voted against II. II was defeated
by only fourteen votes. UP TO this time
the Nationalist had supported the bin
whenever II was UP. but when the hnal
reading came they deliberately sacrificed
the women in order to curry favor with
the government for their own measure.
Even this act, however. seems insignif-
cant compared to their unpardonaole
crime of excluding women from the pro-
visions OF the Home Rule bill. Tho men
N ireland already have every form OF
suffrage possessed by the men OF Eng
land, Scotland and Wales, and this bill
proposes TO give them. In addition. the
right to elect their own local Parliament
From it's provisions they have excluded
all women, even those who have the
county and municipal franchise. These
Irtshmen have striven for generations 10
eliminate English government over their
local affairs. and now they propose to de-
priye Irish women OF all voice In these
same local affairs and compel them to be
governed absolutely by men. They will
place them In a far worse position than
Irishmen now occupy, who can elect their
representatives to the national Parliament
at Westminster. In all the past years the
women suffragists on both sides of the
water have sympathized strongly with
the men Of Ireland in their struggle for
political freedom. but now the majority
OF them would be glad TO see them de-
feated.
Bernard Shaw. who can say things moro
strongly than anybody else, thus express
es the situation in regard to the forcible
feeding of the women In prison:
II the suffragists are allowed 10 kill
event will create, IN spite Of all logic. will
be inspired by the government and not
by the victims. II DR.. Crippen had been
seutenced 70 penal servitude for life. and
he had declared that he would starve
himself TO death IL not released, the gov
eminent might have counted on a very
large degree Of public sympathy In reply: