THE SUFFRAGETTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15249, 12 March 1913, Page 7

THE SUFFRAGETTES.

SCENES AT THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. KING'S DRIVE _ INTERRUPTED. PAPERS THROWN AT ROYAL CARRIAGE. FIVE WOMEN ARRESTED. ■* By Telegraph.Pregs Association. —Copyright. . London, March 10. Demonstrations were made by the suffragettes in connection with the opening of Parliament to-day. The Beef-eaters (Yeoman of the Royal Guard) carefully , searched the vaults of the House of Lords, and extra precautions were taken in the issue of tickets to the galleries. The King's drive from Buckingham Palace to; the House of Lords was interrupted at Whitehall, where five suffragettes were arrested while attempting to force a passage through the cordon, to present a petition to the King. Five other women charged together and broke the cordon of police and guardsmen in, the Mall opposite St. James's Palace.. . ", " : . Hearing the crowd's shouts of indignation the . King looked out through; the window of the State coach, flushed deeply at the insult, and turned quickly to speak to the Queen. Meanwhile the five women came within a few yards, and threw papers at the coach. One of the Beef-eaters, with a#'halberd, threatened two of . the women, who, undaunted, again threw a volley of the manifestoes at the Royal carriage. t , The. police twice protected the women from the fury of the mob, amid shouts of " Duck them in the lake." ' The horses of Prince Lichnowsky, German Ambassador, became restive in the Mall, and the pole of the carriage snapped. Policemen pulled the carriage to the entrance of the House of Lords. : NON-MILITANT PETITION. WHAT IT CONTAINED. (Received March 12, 12-50 am.) . London, March 11. j The - petition which the .suffragettes attempted to present to the King during his progress through the streets explained that militancy endangered public. and private property and ' brought, the administration of the law into contempt. It was intended to wait ; land, see whether the Speech from, the' Throne contained- any promise. . : . . > The petitioners,' it was • stated, had heard that, it was possible that the Government would submit a coercion Bill granting the vote only as a cure for .militancy. FEMALE . bashi-bazoxjks. , Miss Durham, an English lady who has been acting as a :war correspondent with the Montenegrin army, recently made a forcible protest in a letter from the Balkans, against the militant tactics of the suffragettes. She described these, women as " the female Bashi-bazouks who disgrace the regular army .of .woinen who are working to raise the status of humanity." Miss Durham added " Out here one feels that the difference between the fanatic who avenges himself on his foe by gouging out his eyes or cutting off his nose is a difference in degree only, and. not in principle, from the letter-destroying and win-dow-smashing tactics that have lately disgraced the womanhood . of' England. Speaking for myself, I can say that it was the action of these Bashi-b&zbukesses that caused me to join ; the' Anti-Suffrage Leagne after over 20 years' support of the suffrage cause. I feel- sick with shame when I read the sillies' follies that have lately been reported."