The Washington herald., 1914-06-28
"SILENT SIEGE"
Makes HISTORY
Sufragists Nonrecognition by
Asquith Has Telling
Effect.
KING IS INACCESSIBLE
Monarch a Mere Puppet in Hands of
Dominant Party. Says Clara
Bewick Colby.
KING is INACCESSIBLE
BY CLARA BEwICI< Colby.

d If the Silent Siege" referred to in the
last paper was unnotiCed by Parliament
At at least became a part of current his
tory. Mr.. H. q Wells gives chapter IL
II in ''Th" New Macchiavelli," and
Punch had a series OF drawings illus
trating the various disguises in which
Mr.. Asquith entered the House without
being recognized by the women.
From time immemOriaI in English mis-
tory the monarch was supposed to be the
protector Of the pFUple. and the humDlest
citizen might wayIay him anywhere with
3 petition. which would always be re-
ceived graCiOusly. With the growth Of
democracy the King has become more
pOweTless and more inaccessible. and ap-
-peals to him are always turned over to
ehe home secretary. So. although the
women now turned their attention to the
King. it was Mr.. Herbert Gladstone who
received them. without committing him
self in any way To their cause. except that
he promised 10 convey to King Edward
the wOmen's request for an audience.
What One Woman Did.
Since then. without avail. the suffra-
gists have endeavored in various ways
10 attract the attention of the King and
Queen to the demands and tortures OF
women. and they never came so near a.
complishing their object as a short time
ago when a gentle lady of high position.
in elegant court attire, and with conven-
tional formalities bowed low before their
majesties. and in one brief sentence plead
ed that force might not be used against
women. What would have happened to the
British empire if the lady had been al
lowed to finish her sentence, one shudders
to think. She was promptly removed
from the royal presence backwards, of
eourse-what a picture) and the country
was safe. The vibrations of its throes,
Aowever, came across the water in cable
dispatches describing the momentous az
fair. The fact that the sovereign has no
longer the slightest power to protect his
subjects and is only puppet in the hands
OF the dominant party makes II thou
sandfold more necessary than IN the olden
Time that women should have the vote
Otherwise there is no authority on whom
they have any claim.
The passage Of the three previous
franchise reform acts in 1892. 1861. and
1854 had all been attended with more or
less violence As Mrs. philip Snowden
says, John Bull never moves till he is
kicked" / have heard many English
men speak at the suffrage meetings. ana
almost without exception, they have en-
cOuraged the women in violence by refer
bring TO the dreadful things men had to
do TO get their liberties. Not only this,
but a member of the government Mr..
Hobhouse. opposed the suffrage for wOm-
en- because they had not shown the same
zeal and determination TO get II that the
men did n 1S22. when they burned castles
and fought and killed in the streets to
get their rights.
Gives Impetus to hIIitancy.
This foolish speech gave great impetus
to the militancy of women, but in ali
they have done they have peen careful
TO avoid harm to life. and anything that
has been reported otherwise is simply
sensStionalism. It is not long since one
Of their leaders said: We realized that
we should have to use mems methods,
only Ne said we will not 80 as far AS