The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-09
M|LITANTS SPEND
A QUIET WEEK IN
THE BRITISH ISLES
No New Outbreaks, But the
Police Keep Vigilant
Outlook for Fresh
Disorders

London, March s.-Although the
militant suffragettes have given tho
British isles a week of comparative
calm, they have kept the police and
other officials on the tiptoe of anxious
anticipation and it is feared that the
calm may be merely the predecessor Of
another stormy outbreak
The public recreation ground at Not
tingham forest was despoled by wom-
en- this morning many of the young
trees being ruined while lamps,
benches and ratings WE'RE smashed.
On Friday night a number of tele-
graph and telephone lines in the neigh
borhood of Glasgow We're cut and
cards bearing the familiar Votes for
Women were left tackled on the poles
AT an "antisweating' meeting in
London Friday night there was scene
OF disturbance. Will Crooks. the labor
member of parliament. was the prin-
cipal object of the suffragette inter-
ruptions. The labor members are
among the CHIEF supporters of the
cause" but the militants accuse them
OF chicken -heartedness and propose to
prod them by heckling and other means
until they adopt militant methods in
the house of commons.
Guard for Churchill
When Winston Spencer Churchill,
first lord of the admiralty, and his
wife arrived at Dover today from a
continental trip 1t was thought neces-
sary to guard their passage from the
steamer to the train by special force
of police and detectives. All the other
members of the cabinet continue to
suppress so far as possible all advance
news of their movements.
Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, the militant
leader, has maze one public appearance
since she was released from prison on
her promise to refrain from indictments to
violence Her speech on that occasion is
criticised in many quarters as violation
of her promise, bpt her supporters de-
fend it with the argument that it was
merely a justification of past deeds and
not an Indictment to new ones"
There appears to be no doubt that the
militant section of the suffragettes has
lost ground during the past month. Henry
Massinghams review in The Nation and
two of the influential liberal London daily
newspapers have turned against them
Georges country cottage. 1t has been
shown that this explosion might have
killed several workmen If the plans of the
women had worked properly. A second
bomb had been placed, which was timed to
explode at an hour when there would have
been q dozen workmen there, but the wind
extingushed the fuse which had been laid
to fire it,
Few Women Elected
t,.,I. I
and householders have the right to
vote at municipal elections in the Brit
ish isles, female voters at the county
councils elections this week were few
and only two out of dozen women
candidates were elected. aaa =.
Wherever the suffragettes have at
tempted any public demonstration re-
Gently they have been hooted and
mobbed, often by their own sex. Until
lately such treatment when it was at
tempted excited strong protests in the
newspapers, but now it arouses little
resentment outside militant circles.
While some of the legislators who
favor woman's suffrage declare that
nothing should be done in the matter
until the destruction of property by the
suffragettes ceases. others argue that
the acts of a small minority of the
women should not be allowed to kill
worthy movement.
Hugh A. Franklin was sentenced to-
day in the Middlesex sessions to nine
months imprisonment for setting fire
to a railway carriage. He informed
the, court that he did this as a pro-
test against the governments treat
ment of the suffragettes. He declared
he would go on hunger strike.
Franklin in December. 1910. was SEN
fenced to six weeks Imprisonment for
an assault committed on Winston Spen-
Ger Churchill. who was at that time
home secretary. He is a nephew of Post
master General Samuel.