Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-07-07

created peer year later his rank
was raised from that of baron to Wis.
count. In 1919 he died. Succession
to the title threw young Aston" out
Of the house Cf commons into the
house of lords. With the fall from
power of $sQuith-the principal OBJ
stacle to votes Tor women-eame the
extension Of the suffrage, just In the
nick of time for Lady Aston
I'm here because the women have
the vote" said Lady Astor at the
Baltimore conference. think what q
disaster for the world if l had been
hidden in a two-room cottage instead
of the house of commons" she added
with a laugh of mockery.
Now, as to this first woman in
parliament" business-again the magic
wand of the fairy godmother is much
In evidence. In the Coupon elec-
ton of November, 1918, there were
at least four important women can
didates for the commons. Three Of
these were: Mrs Despard, a sister
Of Lord French who had spent her
life relieving the English poor; Mary
Macarthur, leader of trade unfonism
for women; the redoubtable Christa-
bel Pankhurst of militant suffrage
fame. All Of these women got a large
vote and two of them nearly secured
election.
The fourth was a lady of Irish
blood, a Gore-Booth by family and bv
marriage the Countess Markievicz.
The countess was elected. She thus
beat the viscourtGss to 1t by II
months. But the countess was Sim
FEN and refused to take her seat in
parliament. A year later Lady Aston
was elected-and did take her seat,
Lady Astor's coercion law bill" is
a story in itself Briefly, it's this:
The English are horse-race enthu-
siasts. Even King George has his rae
ing gable and probably would give
his crown to win the Epson Derby.
And everybody plays the races. The
Peels-Capt. Owen Peel, twenty eight,
member of historic English family
var veteran and Violet Margaret
Florence Jardine Peel. his young and
beautiful wife, daughter of Sir Rob-
ert and Lady Jardine-got the winner
of race by telephone, back dated a
lot of betting kilograms to several
bookmalSers and ''won" $4,000. Some
of the bookmakers paid the Peels
$1,000; the others charged fraud.
Relatives of the Peels repaid the 81.
600, but the government, which runs
the telegraph, prosecuted the Peels.
Captain Peel was convicted and sent
TO prison for year. His wife was
shown to be equally guilty, having
participated actively In the fraud.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Justice Darling In
structed the jury to find Mrs. Peel not
guilty and she was set at liberty.
The court ruled In accordance with
the Flaw of coercion" which dates
back to King Ina of the West Saxons
who reigned in 712; King Canute, 800
years later, enacted a similar law
This law presumes the wife to be the
property of her husband and subieet
TO his commands
The Peel case shook England in tvo
ways. The Peels committed the un-
pardonable sin in English society,"
cheating at cards o. betting.
But that shock was mild compared
to that suffered by the women when |
they learned that-though citizens and
yoters-they were still in the ewes of |
the law the property Of their hus-
bands and incapable of Independent
action. There was an outburst of pro |
test which still continues In the press.
on the platform and In social gather
ings. There is "a culver of feminine
Indignation frcm Lands End to the
Border