The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-16

confiding the secrets of their hearts
to the moon.
A candidate. who at a public place
| of meeting prociaims political pro-
practical proposition in parliament
does not inspire even the most erotic
poet to beautiful verse.
The gestures of the suffragettes were
neither aesthetical nor Harmonious.
| Their violent acts were lacking grace.
Yelling like savage Indians. they at
Westminster to invade Parliament. or
chained themselves to the iron ratings
of the palaces of ministers. forcing the
police to send for iocSsniiths to get
| them free. Like made cats they jump
/ ed into the faces OF the giant bob
bies' and put them to flight because
selves against female attacks They
smashed windows In Oxford street.
threw Ratchet at q member of the
Redmond's ear OF. tried to set fire 10
dwellings at night, and planned to
mutiiate treasures Of art in the
museums.
Politics is no excuse for crimes of
| titled TO defend itself with all means
at its disposal. The suffragettes who
fhe anarehists Who went from props-
ganda TO criminal acts. As long as
! These only set forth theories. sephis-
tiSai III, Ike these OF Max ssirner Or hfa
| Elysee Reclus and John Most. 1t was
enough 70 argue with them ridicIie.
civilization But when they began TO
throw bombs. murder and rob we
stopped ighting them with mouth and
pen. and crested guillo,ines on which
enc OF them is caught
+ Now / do not want to suggest that
being a suffragette should be com
sidered a crime punishable by death.
nor even that we should turn over to
the executioner the most violent OF
them. but | Dc advise that we should
apply the existing law as vigorously
as possible against them without
! bringing forth sentimental excuses
that they should not be punished too
egottsm and because their motives are
/ not eiishonorable.
And sim. as ,sternly as am opposed
to special indulgence towards these
Furies which want to prove woman's
political maturity by destroying works
OF art. and breaking into parliament
and stores, as earnestly 4 want tn dd-
wise against an erroneous deduction To
which we may easily be led. we are
strongly. tempted TO show towards all
which we are aroused By the excesses
committed by few, We are tempted
/ to condemn woman's demands for equal
threaten the lives of ministers with
hatchets; and 10 pick UP the hammers
/ used 10 break windows and make use
t
social demands. This would be very
unjust and absolutely ilioyal. for the
crimes OF few suffragettes prove
| nothing against the efforts TO bring
about the political emancipation OF
| woman.
Every powerful sentiment which
sweeps along the masses OF people
resembles stream of water, which Is
clear when II leaves its offspring, but
along Its course II becomes less clear,
! turbulent and muddy as ii gains in
width. depth, size and power. The
/ Phenomenon Is common to all revolu-
tons. but makes them no less yaiuabie.
| and nti-social instincts naturally
manifest themselves In a different form
/ from that we know from men. The
/ fact that she Ia less strong physically
| generally eliminates the violent forms
OF crime which. call for muscle and
/ a rule. OF another character. but oc-
| casionally we have seen them commit
i crimes al violence, which Is then a
/ sigp OF degeneration
r The natchet throwers, the fncandf-
aries the window breakers may delay
rights for women. but they can never
rob the idea Itself of any OF It's ir-
resistibly convincing strength. Evil
! IDENTIFY the reasonable and decent SUI
| fragettes will take upon themselves
the task of doing police duty within
will, frst Of all. turn their attention
/ to heroines of hammer, Ratchet and
bombs. But to demand. that during
i the heat of battle, the combatants
should turn their own armies against
few compromising "franc-tireurs,
whose aim is to help them. would real
/ ly be asking too much.