New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-01-20
LONDON sUFFRAGETTES
Exception Taken to Mrs. Jonson
Statements Concerning Them.

| To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir Mrs. Ashton Jonson would receive
no criticism for defending Engiisn
democratic principles in a land whicn
boasts of being a democracy" as she says
| in this mornings Tribune, II In DONG 80
she would not make statements "hlch inc
| facts do not support. To illustrate, quito
from a column report in The tribune Vi
January Of Mrs. Jonson's lecture oeioie
the League for Political Education 10
which the suffragists are especially oo-
jecting
THE only Manchus the suffragettes en-
counter are the NICE blue coated soou
natured London polcemen-the dear Doo.
bies'! Every woman loves the 'poDDies'
who, the women themselves say, didn hur'
them" 3,
1t is we'll known that the policemen nau
strict orders at the recent demonstration
before the House OF Commons not 10 re-
peat the brutality Of the preceding year
Their Instructions were to form cordoh
through which the women could not pene-
trate. and when the latter persisted 10 ar
rest them without violence Neyertheless'
both English and American women OF uh-
questioned veracity have testified that they
unnecessary assaults of the police. Inc
terrible outrages perpetrated by the dear
hobbies whom every woman loves on NO
vember 10, 1910. resulted directly in the
death OF two useful and much loved Wom-
en-, and, supplemented by the treatment :"
prison. resulted in the death OF Mrs' fdilh-
bursts sister. other women were so pduly
injured that they never have recoVereo
and others had their thumbs twisted out Oh
Joint. were choked ill they were almost
insensible, had their clothes nearly torn OIL
and were subjected to indisnlties winch
will not be described here. Mrs. Jonson
cannot be ignorant Of these facts Ior an
inquiry was made in the House OF COM
mons and more than one hundred printed
pages Of testimony have been prepared
from such women as Mrs. Golden SahueE-
son, daughter OF Richard Cobden' MIS-
Solomon, widow Of the Premier OF south
Africa. and Mrs. Hertha Ayerton, the most
eminent woman scientist in Great Britain
There were not only eyewitnesses, but SUI
ferers from these assaults. And THIS MIS-
Jonson stigmatizes as manufactured mar
tyrdom"!
Here IL another quotation from the lect-
ure: Mr.. Asquth has promised to support
any amendment to the manhood Suffrage
hin which the woman suffragists NAV pro-
mise The Premier never has made any
such pronise. lie said that II private
member should offer an amendment to
this bill and could carry 1t through the
House OF Commons the government would
accept H. How could the government 10
otherwise II the amendment received ma
h. aTrna
Mr.. Asauith agreed 10 wnat he could not
help. he clearly expressed his own lmplaca-
bIe hostility TO woman suffrage. saying
publicly TO a deputation OF suffragists: Il
have never been able to persuade myself
that II would be for the good or the state
and to a dcputation OF anti-suftragists: /
agree with you that the grant OF the poIlti-
cal franchise to women would he mlsIahe
of "A very disastrous kind
Mrs Jonson is further reported as saying
in her lecture: Mr.. Asquith has not pc
,rayed the suffragists. The Cancellation Dill
never passed its third reading, and there
were people ready to kill 1t with amend
ments I'm committee. Nobody wanted II ex-
cept the Pankhurst society on the con-
trary. this bill was accepted by all the
woman suffrage societies, and 1t was 80
framed that II did not ADMIT Oh anhehu-
ments.
II in the face Of these facts Mrs. Jonson
still swears allegiance to Mr. Asqulth ana
considers him extraordinarily generous TO
the English suffragists," she has that right
hint she must not expect to escape the crit-
clsm Of the American suffragsts; nor must
she think that her openly expressed am
mostly toward Mrs. Pankhurst VIII 90 I'M
rebuked by those who love and revere mat
self-sacrinclng woman. II is not through
any lack OF democratic" principles that
Mrs. Ionsons assertions IN regard TO the
English situation are censured, but II Is
because American suffragists understand
that situation entirely too well TO remain
silent when II Is misrepresented'
IDA Hustled HARPER.
New York. Jan. II. 1917.