THE WILY SUFFRAGETTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 7 April 1908, Page 3

THE WILY SUFFRAGETTES.

Followbiig the famous precedent of the Greeks who .entered Troy concealed in a wooden, horse, the suffragettes outwitted

the police in Old Palace Yard in a fashion that was both humorous* and effective. Things have come to such « pass (says a special correspondent of the New Zealand Times) that Parliament has now to be protected from a band of resolute women by hundreds of police. Strong ' I men watch the gates of Parliament to protect the trembling legislators from the womenfolk. The rumcr of a*' suffragette raid <m Westminster is sufficient to summon a whole army of policemen to the defence of their fellow mon. No band of women, however determined, might pass through the ranks of these burly custodians of a frightened Cabinet. But the suffragettes can be as wily as Ulysses of <m. Foiled by brute strength,* they conquered by a. ruse. In a contest of wits the police were no match for the women. The police had turned away all woman from the prod-net* of Parliament, but they had no* stopped the stream of vehicles. So when a big 'furniture van came lumbering a l -ng it was allowed to pass through the cordon. There was no t police challenge for anything so commonplace, and the van passed safely into Palace Yard. The back of the wvered van waa let down, and out jumped twentyone women and girls, who made an instant dnsh for the Strangers' entrance lo the Hoi\".» of Commons. Away went the police in 'vot pursuit, amd the women all but tw> -ere headed off just before they reache he entrance. The dauntless twam /com£ rushed through the door and a .he corridor to the outer lobby calbnj- otes for Women," until they were • - ipe d by policemen inside and takem v 0 custody. The women outside the door, unable to charge the entrance, refused to no away • and insisted on Beiner arrested. They struggled with the polioe until the latter -were obliged , very reluctantly, to take them mto custody. Other women drove to the delighted spectators, Mrs Bald wm beiiMj armed for the purpose witha ir» a? r)hone. ATI was - excitement *«d confusion, and a great 'multitude of onlookers quickly thronged; tfie square. - Meanwhile a Parliament of women, eittuUMn q«rfon Hall near by. h«d been pawn* witfi enthusiasm a rJiaM&m mo2*»w Wrt "the unconstitutional nctem of the Govomimmt in refusing the Parliamentary vote to women fa*ia£«S Chrifffcabel Pankhnrrt, the ailver-tojwrued mq orator of the movement. r3 h«r andienoe to firiitm* pitcH in a aX ™, JT** ' ln the COurse of whic h «*• poured scorn on the comfortable, wallcl»d women of the middle and aristoSL •e£T" for theiT apathy towa^ s

The mesolutoan w»s carried with cKeew, ' Jhe whole audfence streamed out to nmrch to Parnament and present it to the Prefer Dowra Victoria street they Efere tb-y were met hy a canton of riant policwmwi, asrait)st -whom th« Tvome.n were ■w>w»rkwi to vrevaSl But they in their turn refused to «o« o away . atl d ewntoally th« Tenders were flrr«sted. Brmrfne the total number in custody im to 54. Fiftvfonr women crenared to en<fore the humihatjon o,nd the hardshj D of i,mr.riwvrnnenit +/> em,T>hn«?®e woman's rlrht to the voffl. Sifh determination atiA pluck ' mti«i surely win in the end.