Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-22
BERNARD SHAW
PENS REBUKE Of
A5QUITH ACTION
Author Declares That Premier
Glasses Women Not as HUI
man Beings, but Rabbits,
5ecIaI Gable to The American.

seCial CaDle 10 ] ne american.
LONDON. June 2l.-G George Ber-
nard Shaw's letter 20 The London
Times critcising the British Govern
ment for its cat and mouse" treat
ment in the rearrest Of Mrs. Emme-
line Paukhurst just before the funer-
al Of Emily Wilding Dawson has
caused widespread comment
q am quite confident that when
say that the moment chosen for the
arrest Of Mrs Pankhurst Saturday
last made the proceeding a revolving
one / am giving expression to the
feelings Of "a large body Of your read
ers,' says Shaw. There was no
necessity 70 rearrest her until after
the funeral. ANY official or minister,
realizing the situation, would, if he
had a spark of decent feeling, have
taken care to order pOstponement.
Situation UnreaIzed,
AS no such order was given we
must conclude the Government does
not yet realize the situation. May |
call attention to two new considera-
tons? The first is that it is now clear
that the plan Of the Home Office is.
first, to relieve the worst tension Of
public opinion by turning Mrs Pank-
hurst out Of prison, and, then, by rig
idly imprisOning her in a house in
which she has taken refuge, produce
all the effects Of the closest Confine-
ment, while escaping responsibility
which would attach to those effects
if they occurred in prison.
ut is alleged Mrs Pankhursts con-
dition is very serious. It is quite
clear it can not be very favorable, as
Mrs. Pankhurst is not made Of iron.
Suppose Mrs. Pankhurst dies, will the
Government, merely because 1t has
cOntrived she shall die out of Hol-
loway, stiH cry We don't care as it
did by arresting Mrs. Pankhurst be-
fore Miss Davison's funeral instead
Of after it?
Not of the Human Species.
my second point is in the newly
declared attitude of the Prime Min
lister in his debate on the Dickinson
bill Mr.. Asquith for the first time
opposed franchise for women ex-
plcitly on the ground that woman
is not a female Of the human species,
but a distinct and inferior species,
naturally disqualified from voting as
the rabbit is disqualified from voting.
This is a very common opinion.
Mohammcd's efforts to discredit it
fourteen centuries ago were lost on
many Arabs as completely as on Mr..
Asquith but it makes the position
extremely uncomfortable. A man
may object to the proposed extension
Of suffrage for many reasons. He
may hold that the whole business of
the popular election is a delusion and
that votes for women is only its
reduction to an absurdity
Where tho Question Differs.
"Hc may object to It as upsetting
convenient division Of labor between
the sexes He may object to It be-
cause he dislikcs a change, or is in
terested i'm business or practices
which women would use political
power to suppress. but it is one thing
to follow the Prime Minister who
advances all. or some, or any Of these
reasons for standing in the way of
votes for women, and IL is quite an
other thing to follow the Prime Min
lister who places ones mother on the
footing of a rabbit.
MANY men would vote for any
thing rather than be suspected of the
rabbit theory 1t makes il difficult to
vote for the Liberal party and then
look the women of ones household in
the face.
The situation Is that II Mrs Pank-
hurst dies public opinion will con-
slider the Government, for which Mr..
Asquith is in effect fully responsible,
will have executed her Mr. Asquith
will not be moved by that in his
opinion. 1t will matter just as much
as killing a rabbit. | can not con-
vince him he is mistaken, but | can
assure him that very large section
of the public will not agree with
him.
II suggest that the authorities
having had to let Mrs. Pankhurst out
Of prison should now let her alone.
There was something to be said for
letting her out; there is nothing to
be said for pursuing her now. She
Is out with a game of cat and
mouse that will produce on the pub
lie feeling Of vindictive assassina-
ton if she, like Miss Dawson, should
seal her testimony with her blood"