Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-09-10
WORLDS BUREAU OF SUFFRAG|STS
TO BE ESTABLISHED in London

that the Socialists hold the balanc,
of power.
The Liberals desired a coalition
and offered the Socialists three seat!
I'm the cabinet, this the Socialist.
have declined. What the result viii
be IL II hard 10 say, but do mo-
think there ID any doubt that II Il
tgeneraIly recognized as a moment
very favorable for the serious intro
duction OF woman franchise, mas
much as universal franchise is q
first plank in both the Liberal and
Socialist platforms"
The Monitor representatives nexi
question was aimed at ascertainine
/ Mrs Cats view on the recent Cat
and Mouse" act Mrs. Gait at once
{, addressed herself to answering the
question with a readiness which
showed no doubt that she had made
| up her mind. Il consider IT," she
said, from every point of view To
be entirely bad. To an American II
10 impossible, primarily, apart from
oil humanitarian considerations. for
this reason: As you will remember
the American revolution had its or
igin chiefly in the attempt of the
English government to impose post
facto. laws upon the colonists, and
IL has been ever since q fundamental
principle In American law that when
any crime is committed the criminal
should be tried under the laws ex.
listing at the time of the commission
OF the crime.
Precedent Called Bad.
ain our view, the fact that the cat.
and-mouse act trangresses this princi'
pie stamps It at once as bad. 1t sets
up a pernicious precedent. 1t is also
bad because the net result is to Sc
cure sympathy and support for mill
fancy from people who would not 9TH
erwise be inclined to accord either. 1t
is rightly looked upon as being bar
barous and as being form of torture,
which should not be tolerated for a
moment In q civilized country.
! "Then again, from the point of view
of common sense, IT. is literally alb.
surd. You arrest people for the com
mission of definite crime, after an
honest trial you commit them to pris-
on, and then after short time you re-
lease them In order that they may be
free to commit other crimes. 1t is In
fact, an admission of weakness on the
part of the government, 1t amounts to
a declaration that although these wo-
men have been convicted of serious
crime, after an honest trial, neverthe-
Tess that there is In the charge such
an element of doubt that they cannot
allow the law to take its course in the
ordinary way"
Questioned as to her opinion In re-
gard to what should be done, Mrs.
Gait said definitely that 1t was a
choice between two evils, allowing the
hunger strikers to attain their pur-
pose, or letting them out, under the
cat-and-mouse act, but she had no
hesitation In saying that the cat-and.
mouse act In operation was by far the
more demoralizing Of the two
3 In regard to militancy generally,
Mrs. Gait said that it had often been
remarked that England was the only
country in the world where militapey
obtained. That" she said, "is perhaps
not surprising, because it really Is the
only country in the world where the
granting of suffrage to women is be-
ing steadily refused, and where the re-
fusal lies in the power of small body
of men. In the United States, for in.
stance, the granting or Withholding Of
woman suffrage does not rest with thi
cabinet but with the whole body of
male electors, and you will at once
recognize the futility OF entering up
on q militant campaign against mil
lions Of men. On the continent, on
the other hand, where the decision
does largely rest with the cabinet the
authorities have shown themselves
uniformly sympathetic towards the
movement.
Second Reason Given.
Then there Is another reason, and
/ have been increasingly impressed
with this since my visit Of three or
four months to this country; from all
/ have seen of the English people 20
day, and from all have read of their
history In the past, seem to see very
clearly that they are a people of
tremendously strong character, ire
mendously opinionated and either ire
conservative or tremen-
dously radical They have been so
for a thousand years, and it is just
this dominating spirit which will not
give in either one way or the other,
which has made them the conQuerors
of the world
Il am convinced that the ultimate
of all nations is the same, that all ma
lions will one day come to the place
where they will govern themselves,
and where that government will be
carried on on the most enlightened
lines, but in this great struggle to-
wards higher. and higher plane Of
political righteousness, England leads
the way, ana it is right here in this
country and in this great city where
all the political problems which have
exercised the intelligence of mankind
for centuries, are working out most
rapidly, and are seen nearest the sur
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