El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-31
IN
ENGLAND DO
MUCH HARM
Suffrage Is HANDICAPPED by
London Disorders, Declare
Leaders.
OPEN COURTS FOR
DIVORCES FAVORED

DEDlN. ENGLAND. May Slime
crash of broken windows in Lon
don has been heard across the
Atlantic with disastrous results" reads
an appeal for worldwide constitutional
agitation" for woman suffrage, issued
by the National Union of Women's Suf-
frage societies. The appeal sets forth
that many letters Of protest against
the strenuous militancy Of the English
slsterhcod have poured into headquar-
tcrs from across the seas
The actions Of militants are hurting
the cause all over the world" is the
burden of these protests, according to
the appeal Most of the protests come
from America and the Dominion OF Can
ada-from countries and states where
women have already won by patience
and tact or where there is now a zig
orous campaign along peaca5le lines
under way Says the appeal:
Letters from officials Of suffrage
societies from America, Europe and our
overseas douinions constantly reach
the national union expressing the
strong belief not only Of the harm
which militancy is doing the cause in
England. but also Of its disastrous et-
fects abroad. Those women especially
Who have already won the vote in the
colonies express themselves strongly
on this question. They won their VIC
tory by tact and patience and Dy a
stern refusal to put themselves in the
wrong. however great the Propagation
In respect of methods, with the eA-
ceDti0n of China. where the movement
has been accompanied IN one OF Two
instances by acts of mllllancS from
Chinese female soldiers, the militant
movement in Great Britain STANDS $50
lated vet il was inevitable, as the
New York press affirms. that the cause
in America should suffer from the out
RACES perpetrated in the name OF WO-
man suffrage by British suffragets- The
crash Of broken windows in London
las been heard across the Atlantic with
disastrous results
Open Court for Divorces Favored
Critics and enemies of the house Of
lords seldom view il in the light OF a
champion for popular rights, YET Inere
IS not a discOrdanC note IN the PUBIC
and editorial praise for its decision
providing for the open court in d.
TOrce eases
The law. which the lords, as the final
court OF appeal Of the United Kingdom,
estabIished2 settles two questions or
the utmost Importance They are that
divorce and nullity cases must be heard
publicly, and that a person adJudged
guilty Of contempt OF court may appeal
The question Of contempt to higher
tribunal On both points the lords
overruled the court Of appeals. In the
Scott case. which was one TO declare
a marriage null, the hearing was Sc
cret. and Mrs. Scott was afterward ad-
judged guilty of contempt for circu-
1ating a report Of the decision among
her friends.
The court Of appeals, by a Vote Of
four to two, upheld the right OF the
judge to hold the hearing in camera,
and also declared that there could be
no appeal from a ruling that a person
was in contempt Of court The cords
went even further than reversing the
questions were Of such importance TO
the public that the government should
pay all the costs Mrs. Scott incurred
in fighting the case before the court
OF appeals and the house OF lords.
The tendency OF English courts Of
late years has been toward secrecy in
divorce cases, and the order for closed
doors was most apt to be made when
parties were Of high position and thus
able TO bring influence 70 bear The
recent suit OF the countess Of Var
mouth. formerly Miss Alice ThaW. for
the notification of her marriage was
tried secretly. In other cases the
judges have ordered spectators to
the trial and have ordered the reporters
not to mention parts Of the evidence /
Witnesses also have been instructed 10
people who figured in the tes-
timOny Ony as TX"
Under an act Of 1857 three classes Of
cases may be heard behind closed doors.
Those concerning the affairs Of child
ren who are wards; Of lunatics and
cases where trade secrets must be dis
cussed- There is also a law empower
ing Judges to order SPECTATORS from
court when children have to give evil
dence OF a certain nature But that
law specifically states that reporters
of newspapers cannot be excluded
In the trial Of several suffrag gets re-
Gently judges have ordered all women
from court The lords decision appears
10 make that impossible. Under it. ex-
cept for the three classes included in
the act Of 1857, all hearings must be
public AS many subjects OF the king
as the court room viii accommodate
have the right to enter and to stay
so long as they behave
Model OF Old Theater.
A model OF the second Drury Lane
theater has been sent to America where
IT viii be placed in the Columbia uni
versity museum among the famous col
lection Of models Illustrating the his
tory Of the stage. The model is the
work Of j. p. Aaginnis, who recently
constructed a representation Of the
Fortune theater for Columbia
II depicts DrCry Lane as IL was I'm
1II6, when Sheridan, Linely and Ford
became the prOprietors OF the patent
A century before this the theater had
been constructed by sir Christopher
Wren and century later Robert Adj
ans reconstructed the interior The
stage in the model is set for the screen
scene IN the school for Scandal