The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-31
HAS CRASH OF BROKEN
 WINDOWS HURT CAUSE OF EQUAL SUFFRAGISTS? ?

London, May 31.-'"The crash of
 broken windows in London has been
 heard across the Atlantic with disas-
 trous results" reads an appeal eor
 worldwide Unconstitutional agitation"
 for woman suffrage, issued by the Na-
 tional Union of Women's Suffrage So-
 cieties. The appeal sets forth that
 many letters of protest against the
 strenuous militancy of the English
 sisterhood have poured into headQuar
 ters from across the seas.
 The actions of the miIitants are
 hurting the cause all over the world
 is the burden of these protests accord
 ing to the appeal. Most Of the prof tests come from America and the Dol minion of Canada ~ from countries and states where women have already won by patience and tact or where
 there is-now a vigorous campaign along peacable lines under way. Says
 the appeal:
 Letters from officials of suffrage societies from America Europe and our overseas Dominions. constantly reach the National Union expressing the strong belief not only of the harm which militancy is doing the cause in England, but also of it's disastrous eff
 fects abroad. Those women especial ly who have already won the vote in the colonies express themselves strongly on. this question. They won their victory by tact and patience and by a stern refusal to put themselves
 in the wrong. however great the prov ocation.
 s-In respect of methods. with the ex- ception of China, where the movement has been accompanied in one or two instances by acts of nflitancy from Chinese female soldiers, the militant 1 movement in Great Britain stands iso- lated; yet it was inevitable, as the New York press affirms. that the cause in America should suffer from l the outrages perpetrated in the name l of woman suffrage by British suffra- gettes. The crash of broken win dows in London has been heard across the Atlantic with disastroun results.' '' Critics and enemies of the House of Lords seldom view it in the light of 1 a champion for popular rights, yet 1 there is not a discordant note in tl3e public and editorial praise for it's de- cision providing for "open court In ! divorce cases.
 The law, which the Lords, as the
 final court of appeal of the United
 Kingdoms, established, settles two questions of the utmost importance. They are that divorce and nullity ca
 ses must be heard publicly, and tha E
 a person adjudged guilty of contemp ; of court may appeal the question of l contempt to a higher tribunal. On l both points the Lords overruled the Court of Appeals. In the Scott case,
 which was one to declare a marriage null, the hearing was secret, and Mrs. l Scott was afterward adjudged guilty | of contempt for circulating a report of the decision among her friends. The Court of Appeals, by 8 vote of l four to two, upheld the right of the judge to hold the hearing in camera. 1 and also declared that there could be l no apneaI from a- ruling that a. person was in contempt of court. The Lords | went even further than reversing the i lower courts. They decided that the | questions were of such importance to
 the public that the government should l pay all the costs Mrs. Scott incurred q
 in fighting the case before the Court of l Appeals and the House of Lords. | The tendency of English courts of | late years has been toward secrecy in 1 divorce cases, and the order for clos-
 ed doors was most apt to be made
 when parties were of high position
 bear. The recent suit by the Count 1 ess of Yarmouth, formerly Miss Alice l Thaw, for the notification of her mar riage was tried secretly. In other l cases the judges have ordered specta-
 tors to leave the court at certain sta ges of the trial and have ordered the
 reporters not to mention parts of the 1 evidence. Witnesses also have been | instructed to mention people who f1g-
 ured in the testimony only as ''x.'' l Under an act of 1857 three classes
 of cases may be heard behind closed | doors. Those concern the affairs of
 children who are wards; of lunatfcs and cases where trade secrets must be l discussed. There is also a law em- l towering judges to order spectators from court when children have to give evidence of certain nature. But