The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-10-23
Mrs. Pankhurst in the United States.

Like many war-like persons Mrs. Pankhurst
is a quiet, unobtrusive soul, lovable sweet and
winsome. But underneath the satin exterior
turks the steel of resolution those who have
attempted to thwart her plans have discovered.
Something of this pertinacity was displayed in
the way she continued hammering at the gates
of the nation until the keys were turned Not
until she had tried the last resources would she
acknowledge herself worsted and it happened
this time that the last resource yielded to her
wishes.
1t may be, perhaps that this very logged de-
termination is itself the key to the militant's
bloody tactics in England After every other
means were found unavaing war was declared
not a tea-room war; or Kilkenny Cats war; but
real war, with real blood flowing and real heads
banged. The Engishman, as everyone knows,
is one of the most conservative men in the world
he never yields until the last ditch is won from
him. The suffragets tried all the tactics of peace
with no results except inocuous promises. This
didn't satisfy Mrs. Pankhurst, nor her husband,
either, by the way, who is silent aide to the
militant leader, so violence resorted to as a
last expedient.
At any rate this is the kind of argument Mrs.
Pankhurst herself put up to the audience in Mad
ison Square Garden last Tuesday evening. And
it has it's points even if one doesn't believe in the
wisdom of such tactics.
"The unreasoning obstinacy of the British
government is itself the cause of our militancy,'
she said in the course of her speech.
On the platform with her were number of
fellow militants, each wearing steel badges as
tokens of hunger strikes endured in English ails,
and over her was the great tri-colored banner of
the movement emblazoned with the words, Re
sstance to tyranny is obedience to God" which
suggests that there may be a religious streak
running through the militant movement. Other
indications would also suggest that something
of the virulency of the militant campaign is due
the Mohammedans in their holy wars.
to deep religious fervor, somewhat like that of
The suffragets were disappointed at the turn
out to their big mass meeting. Though provis-
ions had been made for a series of overflow
gatherings the crowd filled little more than one
fourth of the Madison Square auditorium. But
this was attributed to the uncertainty in the
public mind as to whether Mrs. Pankhurst would
be permitted to speak and more than atoned
for by the warmth and fervor of the occasion.
DR.. Anna Howard Shaw, president of the Ma
tional Association of Suffrage, has not lent
favorable countenance to the coming of the mill
tant cheftainess. She argues that with several
state campaigns now on the time for Mrs. Pank-
bursts visit is not opportune serving to detract
from the more important issues. Besides, she
believes the English radicals have gotten them
selves into box where they must either go for
ward to the deliberate assassination of British
political leaders retreat from their position
and since their past behavior does not indicate
any readiness to retreat from a position, even
with blue-coats assisting in the decampment, the
safe inference is that the militant movement in
England is headed for bloodshed and that
is something, according to DR.. Shaw, American
Suffragets cannot tolerate or encourage
Which is to say that militant suffragsm will
soon cease being politics and become insurrec-
ton. If the whole movement will be trans
formed from melodrama into tragedy, consum-
nation long feared and everywhere to be
dreaded.
Many Richmond citizens will plan to hear
Mrs. Pankhurst at Dayton in few days. Sup
pose they return infected with the miltancy
germ? Would Chief Gormon be as we'll able to
handle militant charge as Fall Festival?