Evening journal., 1914-07-14
ENGLAND TIRED
OF THE NILTANTS
Nation About Ready To
Make Vigorous Opposition
To LawleSS Practices
LYNCH LAW MAY
BE ONLY REMEDY
By ED. l.. KEEN.
London Correspondent Of the United
Press.

London Correspondent Of the United
Press.
LONDON, July 14.-England is. un-
deniably on the verge of lynch law.
The constantly increasing seriousness
Of militant outrages. the confessed in
ability of Scotland Yard TO cope with
the wild women" the lamentahle
failure of the Cat and Mouse law as
a deterrent and the utter inadequacy
Of the remedy recently opposed by
Home Secretary McKenna have
brought the British public face to
: face with the proposition OF taking
the law into its own hands.
Since McKenna has refused 10 heed
I the popular demand of "let them die
/ in prison" those who have watched
the growing ugliness Of the crowds in
[ the public parks where the "outra-
/ gettes" attempt to hold their meet
ings are convinced that the time is
not far distant when the cry will be
taken up Of Kill them" In the
past few weeks many of these meet
/ ings have been broken up. and In nu-
merous instances the women have
narrowly escaped serious injury az
the hands Of the disturbers. On sew
/ eral occasions only the timely inter
/ ference of the police has prevented
! the suffragettes being ducked-or
drowned II is a noteworthy fact
that the complexion of the mob has
decidedly changed of late. Whereas,
formerly it consisted mostly Of boys
out for a lark and young men of the
/ hooligan type. recently Il has been re-
cruited largely from mon OF more or
less respectable appearance. Bur OF
much greater significance rs the atti-
tude taken by a number of the police
magistrates who have been called up
on to try the disturbers. In no case
has severe punishment been inflict-
ed. Normal fines have been the limit.
In frequent instances the prisoners
have been dismissed with a warning
and the warning has been cOuched in
such terms as to indicate that the
magistrate really didn't mean Il 10 be
taken very seriously. In fact, "a one
case where the prisoner was accused
of being the ringleader of a mob that
had destroyed a suffragist platform
and attempted TO duck one Of the
speakers, the magistrate took oc"a-
sion, in dismissing the charge, to
]
ton" offered by the women.
The recent tone of the English pa
pers in handling suhragist news
has already served to fan the flames
Of popular anger against the women
who burn churches, blow up corona
tion chairs, and-what is least for
givable from the British standpoint
insult their sovereign. The opposi-
tion press naturally lambasts the
government in season and out tor It's
inaptitude, but even the Liberal pa
pers have now begun 10 demand that
something be done" to save the
country from the menace Of mob rule.
McKennas belated scheme Of try
T ing 10 put the Women's Social and
Political Union out of business by
proceeding in the civil courts against
the wealthy and important contribu-
tors to its funds is generally regarded
as both futile and puerile. The active
suffragists themselves simply laugh
at IT, Christabel Pankhurst safely
refuged in Paris. is the custodian of
a war-chest already sufficiently am
pie to keep the flag of miltancy wav-
ing for several years to come. AS for
the wealthy and important 'contribu-
tors. few of them have displayed any
signs of nervousness at the govern
ment's latest remedy For such as
are really afraid Of McKenna's
threats. Lloyd's underwriters are pre-
pared to take the risk at a premium
so small as to indicate that these
astute financiers consider the success
OF McKenna's scheme about as long
a shot as the prospect of the arrival
Of triplets in the average family. The
other day a member of the peerage
took out a policy TO indemnify him
against the possible legal conse-
quences Of his wife's rather generous
suffragette subscription. For 1875
the underwriters agreed 70 make good
on any verdict returned against her
in this connection in the next two
years up TO 100000.
Another way of getting from under.
should McKenna attempt seriously 20
carry out his present program, is
suggested by a statement recently
circulated by one Of the anti-suffrage
> organizations An unnamed lady
, private detective is quoted as
, saying Il know Of a number Of veal
thy society people who have paid
, large subscriptions TO the militants
. expressedly for the purpose Of es-
Gaping the molestation at their hands.
, Several such persons who used to en-
? ploy me TO guard their homes, their
! pictures, statuary, and china. during
big entertainments al their homes.
! have notified me that my services are
! no longer required. They told me
E frankly that il was cheaper, and
/ quite as effective, to pay the militants
] directly"
r In the meantime, so damaging ia
e the cause of woman suffrage
p. nave become the activities of the
"furies"-in the opinion of many in
fluential members of Parliament who
{ really favor giving women the vote
2 that the constitutional suffragists
y are being urged to concentrate theil
S efforts in vigorous campaign
D against the Pankhursts For instance
said Philip Snowden, M. p. leader o
n fhn f-Nsr ~