The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-09-01
A new MRS. PANKHURS 7
WAR WORKS CHANGES IN ONE
TINE MILITANT SUFFRAGIST.
Now Staunch Defender Of British Gov.
ernment. Head Of WOmar's Party
Opposes Anything That Hampers Its
MOvement-In l.. =. at Present.

New York Post: The war has made
deep changes in people and institutions
but in no person or institution have the
changes been more searching and com
plete than those wrought in Mrs. En-.
incline Pankhurst.
There was once a time when Germany
gave as one Of the chief reasons why
England could not go to war the activi-
ties of Mrs Pankhurst and her cohorts
of wild women" Mrs. Pankhurst had
wide reputation over the world as its
most dangerous fanatic. I remember a
suffrage campaign in northern Connect.
cut, several years ago, when we could
not find village so small nor an au.
dience so ignorant that Mrs. Pankhurst's
name was not flung at us as taunt and
n rejection OF our pleas. Feminine mod.
esty hung its head when her name was
mentioned. Conservation ran out the
bac,; door or hid behind the barred gates
OF the house Of commons. Law and order
wrung its hands and did not know what
to DO next The forces Of radicalism and
revolution claimed Mrs. Pankhurst for
their own. When she came to the United
States. curious crowds filled Carnegie
hall and Madison Square Garden to see
this woman who claimed herself to iron
bar and starved in prison and sent her
followers out on errands of incediarism
and wholesale destruction.
Now Mrs. Pankhurst is in this country
as spokesman for the strongest agents
OF law and order in the world. She is
hen to work for the war; but she has
words to say about other things than
war She Is strangely serene-except
whom you mention Russia or Ellen Key.
She looks well and happy and many
years younger than when she came on
errsnds of militant propaganda.
She has much to say about radicals
and agitators, for instance l asked her
about the Socialists and labor men in
England, and their probable influence in
matters Of peace and reconstruction.
she swept them aside. What use are
these groups" she Said. "All they do is
talk, talk, talk, and agitate and oppose.
They have no power, and they are fit to
have no power. They are impractical,
these rebels; they couldn't govern or
take responsibility if they were given
the chance They talk about conferences
WltH German workers.
Into my mind came a picture of Mrs.
Parkhurst some six or seven years ago
standing on the platform above a silent
mass of men and women in MaGcSon
Square Garden. / heard her proclaim
the mission of minorities and agitators-
little protesting groups. | heard her say
that only through talking and agitating,
and using force if necessary, by opposing
the government that opposed you, could
progress be made in this world. She
seemed to me terrifying and challeng-
ing invitation to action and revolt
No Revolt These Days.
But revolt is not popular with Mrs.
Pankhurst these days. The very thought
OF Russia stirs her from the serenity
which wraps her around, to a blaze of
Indignation. The Bolsheviki naturally
mean to Her all that is traitorous and
vicious. l asked about Kerensky. | had
seen her quoted as saying: His furtive
look, his heavy lided eyes, from which
he never gave you direct glance, told
me all / wanted to know about him"
but this sounded too much like the re-
action of the od-fashioned feminine
mind" to credit to E.mmeline Pankhurst.
ITO my mind" she said slowly, "Keren-
sky was nothing more nor les sthan
German agent. He urges the soldiers to
fight? Yes! After he had dis4rganized
the army! And what did he urge them
TO fight for? For the revolution. Never
against the Germans. Never for the
right, nor for the great alliance. Merely /
'or the revolution
And then it appeared that Mrs. Pank !
hurst pins her faith to the Cossacks /
packed up by allied Intervention.
/ asked what the suffragists of Eng .
and, the militant mob of other days, |
we're doing now, and Mrs Pankhurst by |
way of an .wer, described procession of
fifty thousand strong, in the
summer of 1915, that marched to Lloyd |
ieorge and sent in a deputation to beg
hat women be given a chance to do their
hare in winning the war by serving in
he munitions factories. Mrs. Pankhurst
leaded the deputatlon.
1--WE asked that women be given fair
wage and good conditions. but only Incl
entally Chiefly we asked to be allowed
o serve, to give ourselves to our coun-
ry."
1t must have seemed strange to on
ooking crowds and Boobies; that mass
f patient earnest women waiting in the
ain, asking only to give themselves, led
" Mrs Pankhurst. A striking contrast
With those professions and deputations
nd petitions that she marshaled before
he war.
We talked about social conditions in
wartime.
What are the women of England
ding to do about the increase in H.
egitmacy that has come during the
,ar?" / said.
Child life has naturally taken on
ew value on account Of the terrible
of life that is going on" said
Irs Pankhurst. "All little children must
e taken care Of"
One Daughter With Her.
She handed me copy of Britannia,
The Suffragette, and talked ,
ith relief and enthusiasm of the work
{ her daughter, Christabel, who edits ,
$. Britannia instructs the cohorts Of
he Women's party along political lines,
rges them to support Lloyd George, to {
own his opponents, especially the S
suuith group, TO ignore the pleas of {
lie Labor party for feminine votes.
In n recent issue, Christabel Pank. ,
urst published a black list of 10S mem
,rs of parliament who will be opposed .
y patriotic women votert at the next
eneral election. because they voted I
,ainst the prime minister and his gov /
nment and in support of Mr.. Asquith S
, Thursday. May 9. 1918" Among the
,mes on Miss Pankhurst's prescribed t
Il are Herbert L. Asquith himself. =