THE SUFFRAGE CAUSE.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14525, 29 November 1912, Page 10

THE SUFFRAGE CAUSE.

LADY STOUrS IMPRESSIONS.

THREE YEARS' CAMPAIGNING.

(.FROM OFB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, October 18. "It has progressed by leaps and bounds, leaps and bounds. There is no doubt about it."'

In these words Lady Stout summed up to mo her conviction regarding the progress, or otherwise, of the women suffrage movement during tho three years which she has spent in England, most of the time in active association with tho campaign. As Lady Stout will bo leaving for homo next week. T was anxious to get her views on a subject of which she has a better kr.owledgo than probably any other New Zealander. And she proceeded to set forth evidence in support of her assertion.

'"Even amomrst the anti-suffragists the tono is quite different now from what it was when I arrived in Apr<!, 1909. At the first meeting which I attended at the Albert Hall in that year there was scarcely a man present. iSovr there are hundreds of men in the audiences, and there are so many societips in place of the threo which were in existence when I came here." ENTERING THE, LISTS. Explaining how she came to take part in the movement in England, Lady Stout said she took no part at all until, some months after her arrivnl in England she felt she simply had to write to "The Times" replying to .statements which had been freely mado that New Zealand women did not appreciate tr.e vote, a-nd did not aiako use 'of it. That was towards tho end of 1909.

As .a sequel to this letter Lady Stout was calk/1 upon by Miss Mitford, of tho Conservative; Unionist" organi<ition, who asked her to speak for them, and then another body requested permission to print her letter in their first leaflet. At that tiino the only societies wcro tho National Union and the Women' s Social and Political Union and Freedom League. Tho National Onion, six years ago. had only SGOO members. To-day it has 3.J.0C0, and is gaining fresh adherents at the rate of a thousand a month. Tho Union, is not a militant society, but Lady Stout has always claimed that militancy has gained the menibersh.p for the non-militant societies.

Though approving of militancy. Lady Stout joined the National Union, and she had some amtiiing experiences during her membership. At one meeting at'which'sho spoke, in a suburb of Birmingham, the chairwoman spoke very strongly in denunciation of militant methods. Lady Stout did not dscloso her own views until the end of the speech, and then she made a clean breast of the fact that she approved militancy. Despite that seveial new members joined that evening, a clear proof that the membership of tho National Union embraced somo at least who were in favour of militant methods. At another, meeting of the same organisation twenty-six new members were enrolled after she had spoken her mind in favour of militancy. It was, as a matter of fact, on this point that Lady (Stout eventually resigned from the National Union and threw in her lot with the W.S.I'.U which officially approves militancy and arranges the outbreaks.

'J'Jio fat was in the fire when tho National Union in its official organ expressed a hope that' Mrs' Pankhurst would get a year's rest cure—(meaning, of course, a year in prison). Lady iStout, and several other members, protested that there was enough work for all tho societies to do in their ownwaj. and that one society had no right to denounce or attack other women. • . "What opened my eyes to the necessity for militancy," sho said, "was the treatment of the women when the ooputation went to the House of Commons and werft not received. They were a perfectly peaceable deputation, and they only numbered tt-n, whereas tho rules permit twelve. Yet they were not received." . ,

"Then you believe in militant riethodsP" I asked.<

"Ihey aro the only methods, it seems to mc, that could possibly have n.ade tho advance that has been maue by tho cause. You can work in a quiet way in England, and nobody over hears anything of you. The conspiracy of sileuco in tho Press is what kills. On the whole, the Press is now giving a much better hearing to the movement than it did. but this is only due to militancy. If wo had restricted ourselves to constitutional methodr-ve Would not havo been able to bring the movement forward. As a matter of fact we get very much better treatment from the provincial Press than from the London papers."