New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-28
The Suffragitis Defeat
copyright, 1912, by G. W. snaneyl
London. March so.

times "
or,d or these British Isles We're gov
"a entirely by reason, such state
-, such a man would mark the
Of tho agitation for womens votes
&C the demand Tor women's votes
p"' ter ~ impulse and not proc
- reason. the end is not yet 1t is
.,r,r probable that the letter had
nv" ord perhaps a decisive influence
-.ordav's House of Commons vote
on 80. what was called the Concilia-
49, Rul, bill Of fragmentary en-
,cbisemont Tor women; practically
.a ~ q property qualification, and
paS. a,.d % add million female votes
- the electorate.
Sir Almroth Wright IS a great doctor
-. has had the courage TO approach
w. question on the physiological side.
..,,ava there is no method of handling
matter which SO infuriates the
...-wentinc women. Yet 1t is certain
.sot tbe problem, If it be problem
,rot be adequately dealt With
..horvise. and this is what he makes
49,, IN these three columns in The
ros" I suppose no other non-medlcal
,arrnal in Great Britain would have
"a the courage to publish such let
-. Certainly in no other would IT nave
tod e. great an effect. II is throughout
seiartidc argument; judicial, maGiS-
..,ol. So closely reasoned and so con
.ieoly set forth that no adequate sum-
mary Of 1t is possible. must refer you
to the letter itself
sir Almroth is a specialist in general
Lac woman doctor sneers at him as
boctarioIogist He originated anti
tvnboid incubation and therapeutic
:.oou,ation for bacterial infections He
.,rd;ed al Ieipsic and StrasbUrg and
o,h.r universities. His discoveries con-
.,rrine the protective substance OF hu-
ran blood and tho self-immunizatlon OF
~. human system gave him great
r,acs in the profession. But he is man
~ ,nnumerable energies Of many kinds,
,,side and far outside his profession.
In his later career he made the mem
orsbIe remark concerning doctors of the
conventional type and himself:
They attack the symptoms. l attack
the causes.
All his life he has been studying
causes, in Jurisprudence as well as IN
medicine. in the world as well as III the
hospital. He is a man Of the worio VINO
brings his knowledge of the world and
his vast experience of life as a conulDu-
ton to the overthrow Of this suffrage de-
lusion.
The full effect Of the defeat Of mis-
measure Of suffrage for certain classes
Of women by fourteen votes can only be
measured by comparison with the prevl-
GUS vote Of the same House, which last
year passed the same bill by l6t ma
jority. Such an Overturn of votes in
space Of time SO short is without prece-
dent. Il cannot he explained by reasons
Of marty. Woman suffrage has never
been d party measure. Min!sterialists
and Tnionists are alike divided The
Ministry itself is divided. The Prime
Minister is against the bill. the passage
of which hc long since said would be
disaster. yet 50 far abdicated his author
ity as 10 promise that if the House Voted
for the second reading he would adopt
and carry through as It government
measure this measure Of disaster. lie
spoke against il on Thursday. Sir Ed
ward Grey spoke for il. But he, on 40
mestic questions. is different Sir Ed
ward Grey from the Minister who III
Foreign Affairs is discreet, farseeing and
SPACIOUS. Mr.. Lloyd George, for whom
No policy of revolution i too extreme
Nj. Birren Mr.. John Burns on his own
topics d Minister Of common sense; sir
Rufus Isaacs. the Attorney General,
great lawyer with a LAWYERS limitations
in other than legal affairs, We're al for
the bill Mr.. Winston Churchill, whose
natural bent toward Conservatism grows
steadily more marked; Mr.. sydney BuX-
ton. who has been on both sides, Mr..
Lewis Harcourt, who is an Opportunist;
Nr. McKenna. now Homo Secretary be-
cause a stronger First Lord Of IN" Ad-
miraltv was wauted-all these are OPP
Uonents. The Cabinet is simply split in
halves.
The Unionists are n no better case.
The tTin leaders Of the party, Mr.. Bal
four and M Bonar Law. both voted for
the bill Mr. Balfour long since capitu-
lated 10 the suffragists. the feminine ole
ment in his character overcoming the
masculine | heard one of his support
ers defend him He has never been
married. NAY his relations with women
have always beer academic What can
he know about ,y" I leave the respon-
sbIljty Of that 50 ing 10 the author Of it.
Nr Bonar Law is an economist prone
to approach all subjects Of dispute with
an economic eve. or with an eye that, on
Nhsr SUBJECTS fails 10 pierce 70 the
hsart % The matter His leadership was
not here IN question. but on other ques-
Tons and i'm the crises that have con-
fonted him he has not Yet justified his
choice as successor to Mr. Balfour. Both
The Cecils arc for giving votes to women.
Loro Hugh CeCils was once voice OF
authority Of late much impaired. Lord
robert Cecil has yet 10 acquire an
authority. Men Of stalwart qualities and
NATURES, ike Mr.. Hayes Fisher and MI
Anred Lyttelton. voted for the bill. SO
u'd Mr. Stuart Wortley and Mr. George
"|hdham, both bearing historic names.
against it were such Cnionists as Mr.
austen Chamberlain, perhaps the great
eNsub3tartive force Of that party, whose
speech against the minimum wage was
The gppaob ~ the ,,b,I. J.b.t, AcoIncf