Alma record., 1913-12-04
WOMEN MEMS PEER.
Writer Tells How Suffragettes
0uttaIked the Premier.
Gays Feminine Forces Can Prevent
Return Of Liberal Party TO Power
at Next Election-Sees End
Of Miiitaney.

Bn8khuu dICei Ill dD5ouCo Va kOui
months on the continent, have been
| interested In ascertaining whether
there has been any change In the sit
uation regarding woman suffrage. says
London woman writer. In writing to
Mrs Fawcett president Of the consti-
tutional association, the National
Union, said 1t seemed to me that,
with the remarkable four weeks pill
grimage of thousands of women from
all parts of the country, the great
peaceful demonstration in Hyde park
and later the receiving of their rep
resentatives by Prime minister AS
quith. the movement had entered upon
new era.
She answered.: 81 feel with you that
suffrage matters in England are on the
. point of new development, but we
know nothing positively at present, p"
and this represents truly the existing
, condition. Nobody, constitutional or
hazard a definite opinion as to the
I next step.
In her address to the premier, Mrs.
. Fawcett appealed to him to find way
out of the "impasse" in which not only
the suffragists but also the liberal
rectly expresses the condition. The
former are no more hopelessly up
against a stone wall on this question
than is the latter.
Why did Mr.. Asquith, after refusing
to receive a deputation at the time
thousands of women were in London
for the Hyde park meeting, voluntari-
ly agree to do so a week later? He
said it was because he understood
they had fresh evidence Of popular
support to lay before him!"
At the time one division of the pill
grims" had reached Oxford and was
holding a mass meeting, the prime
minister was discovered incognito in
one of the colleges there, evidently
seeing for himself what everybody
knows-that there is a tremendous
public sentiment behind this move
ment. He pretended to be impressed
at the testimony of the women as to
shown all along the march, and yet for
number of years this has been ex-
pressed by an overwhelming vote at
the conventions Of the labor party.
Never was the willy politician more
In evidence than at this interview, but
the women matched him at every
point
The liberal party will bow to the
will of the people," he said.
How Is that will to be expressed?"
they asked.
We'll, there is the referendum
would that suit your ideas?"
Two speeches have been made by
your colleagues on the referendum"
answered Mrs. Fawcett; "one said it
was the best way ever invented for
stopping anything and the other said
it was the best way of dealing with
woman suffrage!"
The premier asserted that "the in
terests of women had not been unduly
neglected by the house of commons
and Miss Royden asked him what de-
gree of neglect was "due?" She point
ed out one instance after another
where the interests of men has been
protected and those of women ig-
nored; declared that "even good gov
ernment Is no substitute for self-gov-
ernment" and that women had be-
come politically conscious and never
would be sent to sleep again"
There is but one way. of finding out
what the people think" said the prime
minister, "and that is through the
representatives they send to parlia
ment."
True" answered Miss Robertson,
"and there has been a majority
for women suffrage in the house of
commons for 25 yearsl"
There Is only one course open to
the suffragist and that IL to prevent
the return of the liberal party to pow
er at the next general election. Eng
lish women are trained in politics and
If the suffragists would lay aside all
minor difference and concentrate on
this one object, they could accomplish
1t. The Women's Liberal federation,
an annex of the liberal party, with a
membership Of over 100000, could do
this unaided II would mean, of course.
the retirement from office of the men
Of their own families and the defeat
Of the party to which they always have
belonged, but many of them are pre-
pared to make this sacrifice. It seems
to be accepted on every hand that the
conservative party when Il comes into
power again will grant some measure
of suffrage to women. This will not
be done as matter Of principle. but
because 1t will not wish to subject
itself to the experience of the liberal
party at the hands of women and be-
cause the sentiment of the country is
so obviously in favor of their en-
franchisement.