The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-06-12
EXPLODED A BOMB
INSIDE THE ABBEY.
SEC. MckENNA'S SPEECH IN
COMMONS INTERRUPTED
ACTS OF MILITANTS
Confusion Occurred when Lesis-
lators Were Discussing the
Woman Situation
ACTS OF MILITANTS
(By Associated Prcss)

| Wy AooOCidtCl fIeSS)
London. June l1.-Militant sutfra-
Gettes staged one OF the most dramatic
acts OF their campaign today when
they exploded IL bomb In Westminster
Abbey at the very moment the Right
Hon. Reginald McKennu. secretary OF
state for home affairs. was delivering
! an optimistic speech in the House of
! Commons nearby, regarding the gov
crnmcnt's method of dealing with "the
wild woman"
| The bomb was placed beside the fa-
nous coronation chair in Edward The
Confcssor's Chapel. Although ii did
little damage the report penetrated
to the House chamber. interrupting
Mr.. Mckcnna"s oration and bringing
members into the street to learn what
had happened.
A statement issued by Scotland
Yards gives the facts in q conservative
| form
| AT o'clock says the statement.
"a small bomb was exploded in imme-
diate proximity to the coronation
chair. 1t Is supposed some member OF
a large party OF sightsccrs Jagged be-
hind the rest and deposited the bomb
when the others had left the chapel.
| THE damage done was slight. A
portion of the carved wood at the back
or the chair was blown of and some
OF the stone carving of the screen OF
the great altar was damaged.
| "The bomb. thin metal, nickel plated,
was exploded by a fuse. A woman's
feather boa, a guide book and a small
black silk bag were found on a chair
nearby. The pieces blown off can be
put together again."
Reginald Mckenna, the home
secretary. announced in the House
of Commons to-day shat he
hoped the government had obtained
Sumclent evidence to. enable it To
bring suit against subscribers TO the
funds OF the militant suffragette or
ganization. He added the further hone
that the government would be able ia
make the subscribers liable for the full
extent or the damage done by larson
squads" dcstroycrs OF mail and pic-
ture slashers.
The announcement was made in re-
| sponse to bitter criticism of the in
activity OF the government against
| What Lord Robert Cecil described AZ
nothing less than anarchy" for which,
In his opinion. the only real remedy
was deportation.
MIR. Mckenna pleaded that the gov
| ernmenf faced a situation absolutely
without precedent. The number of
women actually engaged in commit
ting crimes connected with the mrr,-
tant suffragette movement Is small,
ne said. bnt sympathizers are numer-
GUS. He admitted the crimes were in
c!easing ;nInriot Gness AMI he rcoog-
nized the sense of public indignance
against the militant suffragettes. moro
especially in regard to their rudeness
| 10 King George and Queen Mary.
In discussing various reasons for
dealing with the militants, the home
| secretary said he believed the "lct
them die" policy would act only as u
| greater incentive to miiitancy and
would In due course lead to. a reac-
ton in public opinionl Deportation,
he considered impractfcable.
AS to treating the suffragcttcs as
lunatics, Mr.. McKenna said he could
not ask Parliament to sanction an act
defining people as lunatics who had
| not been medically certified as such.
The last proDosition. he said. was
to give woIccz. the vote, but he thought
that could not be seriously considered
as remedy for existing conditions.
Mr.. Mckenna showed he had an
abiding faith in the "cat and mouse"
act. He denied that many of tho
crimes attributed to suffragettes had
been committed by women released
under that law. Some of those re-
leased he said, had abanodned mill
fancy; others had fed the country.
The homo secretary appealed to the
newspapers to cease reporting suffra-
gette Outrages and thus deprive the
| militants OF advertisement. which, he
| maintained, was the handspring of
their existence.
Many of these women, he said, arc
hysterical fanatics who are possessed
OF courage that, would risk anything.
Many OF them wanted to die to gain
what they believed to be ,martyrdom.
Advertisement of their acts was a
thing they desired above all. k,
Mr.. McKenna urged the prosecution
OF subscribers to the militant funds.
IL this succeeded the home secre-
tary said, there is no doubt that the
day or militancy would be over. What
ever may be the difference OF feelings
regarding the hunger strikers therc
can be no doubt as to what the feel-
Ing Is with regard to the wealth .wom-
en- who pay these women by, the week
to commit crimes. II we succeed in
these actions It means the destruction
Of the Wonen's Political and Social
Union and we shall see the last of