The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-16
M|L|TANCY HAS
ITS JUSTIFICATION
SOMETHING TO BE SAID IN pALLIA-
TToN, DECLARES MISS JOHN
SToN.
WOULD NOT BE A sUFFHAGETTE
IN ENGLAND, BUT SAYS THERE
ARE ExTESUATTNG CIR
CUMSTANCES.

II doubt very much if the future
historian, after weighing both sides
of the question, will deal harshly with
Mrs. Pankhurst and the militant suf-
fragettes of England" said Miss Mary
Johnston. at a meeting in Gnitre Park
Town hall Intending an explanation
of the militant tactics of the English
sufragettes-
Miss johnson said that we on this
side of the ocean had heard only of
the violent methods of the Pankhurst
type of suffragist and little of the eS-
tenuating circumstances, of which
miserably low wages 10 women work
ers is one. She traced the history of
the militant organization from its in
ception down to the present time,
claiming that Premier Asquith, a
bigoted opponent OF equal suffrage. -
and Lloyd George. who favors the
principle" of equal suffrage, but has
not shown II by his acts. had repeat
eddy betrayed the suffragists of Eng
land and had deliberately broken their
solemn pledges,
Cause of Violence.
She pointed out thas at first the
PAM hurst organization had not taken
to violence, beginning first with de-
handing the right OF petition and af-
ter being refused engaging in dem
onstraticns, then, being arrested and
treated with violence had resorted to
violence 1t was not until after a sec
ond betrayal by the ministry, she
said, that other than government
building were attacked.
Miss Johonston declared that she
did not approve of militant methods
and that were she an English woman
she would not belong to the militant
organization, but she felt that there
was something to be said on both
sides.
Explaining the well-known differ
ence hewteen the term ''suffragist"
and "suffragette," she said that there
are seventeen suffragist organizations
in Great Britain to one "suffragette,"
or militant suffragist, organization
and that the latter is the smallest in
numbers. She portrayed the hard
ships TO which these women were
subjected by the authorities, the
treachery with which they and all
suffragists had been dealt, the low
wages which the women workers
half of all the women--receive for
their labors and the causes leading up
to the extreme measures taken by
them finally.
The meeting was we'll attended by
men and women. despite the rain.
John Garland Pollard, mayor of Gin
ter Park, nominated by women as
we'll as men, presided at the meet
ing and introduced the speakers. who
were Miss Johnston and Miss Adele
Clark.
Miss Johnston opened the meeting,
speaking for about an hour on the
principles Of equal suffrage, the ar
guments and facts in its favor and the
good that she believed would be ac-
complished by it's operation She was
followed by Miss Clark, who made
local application of the principles laid
down by Miss Johnston and spoke
also on the women's ideals OF gov
eminent as exemplified by the parade
of March Sd in Washington and com
pairing them with masculine ideals
as exemplified by the inaugural pa
rade on the following day Briefly,
she said that the suffragist parade
showed the woman's ideal to be con-
struction of the inaugural parade.
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