The Washington herald., 1914-07-26

ing such a brush and she got six month,
imprisonment at hard labor. Such is th'
relative estimate in England OF the valu,
of brushes and brush-makers.
Scottish Women's Fight.
! Among the closing events OF 1905 was thS
fight OF the Scottish women graduates fol
! the recognition OF their claim 10 vote
under the University Franchise Act. The
strict wording Of the act would include
all University graduates. and the women
ably argued their case before IN eHousc
of Lords thus carrying on the war in new
ground. While they did not win they rem.
dered great service to the cause by estab-
fishing the ancient rights which women
possessed in England under the old COM
mon law.
On November IS came the word from
Australia that the long struggle for the
enfranchisement of women there had been
TO women in Victoria, the last Of the
states to yield. All the women of Australia
had for ong time possessed the
Federal franchise which was granted by
the first Federation Parliament while as
yet the women had the state franchise in
only two or three states. This bears upon
one of the features OF the suffrage work
here. where we are asking for the Feder-
al suffrage. the vote for members OF Con-
gress. before women have the franchise
in all OF the states, the relation between
the states and the fedora government
being the same there as here.
The Woman's Freedom League. one
Of the militant organizations which had
carried through some Of the most start
ling enterprises. the Silent Siege" and
the destruction Of ballots to invalidate
the eection. etc. slgnaliEed the close OF
the year with q demonstration in the
ladies gallery In the House OF Commons
1t is an insult either to visiting ladies or
to the members, or both. that women are
obliged IL they wish 20 listen to the pro-
ceedings in Parliament. TO sit behind a
grille OF iron which prevents their seeing
or being seen.
Bursts Through Bars.
On the evening Of October 2s a woman
in the gallery thrust through the bars a
proclamation demanding votes for wom-
en-. Before the guards could reach her
Miss Muriel Matters had stepped TO the
front OF the gallery and was beginning
to make a Suffrage speech when the
attendants came rushing in and sieZed
her. They did not. however. remove her
for Il was found that she had fastened
herself to the grille with a spring pad
dock. They gagged her but another wom-
an took up the cry and IL was found
that she also was chained to the grille.
Then q third took up the refrain, and in
the confusion the attendants could not
gag them all so that the demand Votes
for Women" resounded through the House
Of Commons until workmen could be
brought in. the grille dismembered, and
women and grille were taken OF together.
II was some time before the grille could
be again set up and It seemed as II this
historic barbarity was to be done away
with forever. and meanwhile such women
as listened to the speeches of the MEM
bers did so in the open under the strict
guardianship of a responsible member
At length a "Brawling Bill was intro
duced but Il being found that to secure
conviction OF offenders. members. and
even the Speaker might be likely to be
summoned as witnesses. the bill was
dropped. Not long after the sufrragettes
chained themselves to the statues of FIVE
men in St Stephens Hall who were fam
in earlier days; and in the interval of
strong enough TO cut through their
passing members and visitors showing
struggle for the freedom Of women as
these men to whose marble images they
had attached themselves had made for
the liberties Of men. Not long after the
ladies' gallery was re-opened. but no
woman can sit there except she be related
to some member OF Parliament.