WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2849, 21 October 1908, Page 19

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE.

LONDON, October 12. The Women's Freedom League attempted bafore sunrise to placard the doors of Cabinet Ministers, the House of Commons, the Government offices, and" Nelson's Column with a proclamation claiming tlie vote. Tike police, however, largely frustrated their coup Five hundred polios and 200 mounted men will guard the precincts of Parliament on Tuesday morning to prevent the women carrying ut their proposed rush. Mrs Pankhurst, Miss Christabcl Pankhurst, and Mrs DTummond have ignored a summons to appear at the Bow Street Court to answer a cliargi of trying to • provoke a breach of the peace in connection wjth rushing the House of Commons, and warrants for their arrest have been issued. f October 14. / ■ I There is a likelihood of restrictions being placed on the privilege of laddes being allowed, under the cecort of a member of the House of Commons, to fView the sittings of Parliament from a ■> small side window near the main errtraace. ! A woman so introduced entered and > walked ■to the back of the House, and* ' shouted with 'upraised hands, '" Cease dis- . cussing the Children's- Bill, and give the • | votes to women.*' The intruder was expelled, still shouting. She proved to be Mrs Symons. Mr Keir Hardies private secretary (Mr Idris) lmew her parents, and hence afforded her the opportunity of a view, r.ot suspecting 1 : her intentions, j She afterwards apologised, assuring Mr Idris that her act was unpremeditated, j Mrs Drunrmond and Mrs and Miss , Pankhurst were arrested, and remanded for a week on bail. Mr Asquith declined to receive a suffragist deputation. A series of rushes made by tlie suffragettes proved ineffectual in their attempts to reach' the House of Commons. 1 The crowd (including an elenvenl of the ' unemployed and some hoolrgspis) tried to • ' | break the police J cordon. Some persons were - injured in the crush, but £he -admir- . able arrangements of the police rendered the demonstration an ignominious failure. I Twenty-four women and 13 men were arrested. ' The Times and Chronicle declare that . tfro suffragieL'o are now makinig theon- • E'&lvos the nucleus of mobs wherein are . 1 dangerous elements, and that the rowdies are conspicuous and 'becoming a nuisance, calling for sterner treatment than hereito- ' fore. j October 15. j Ser-ecal of the suffragi-ts who wer« • ; arreete^l elected to go to prison, for a mon'.h instead of entering into a reccjg- ~ iiisance for sureties ot good behaviour for - a year. t .Some secured an adjournment in orde* to obtain' legal aid." 1 Thr«>e nifties were ser.it to gaol for kicking and striking tl'.3 police, and others were fined or bound over. i The Speaker announced in the House 'of Commons- that, while rot excluding , ladies from the inner lobby, he had I ordered thai nous be allowed past the ! doorkeepers. This pi events access to the window. j M_ii> Symons wtis severely criticised for j not applying as Mr Keir Ha:di<; % e eecre- { tary to Mr Hardie himself for admission to the lobby. Her craly want of premeditation was to af>ply to Mr Idris. It is now declaimed that the demonstration was the result of a consultation of the leaders of the Women's Social Political Union. NEW YORK, October 19. President Roosevelt informed the Women's Suffrage Congress that a petition with 1,000,000 signatures would not ■ induce him to lecommend Congress to enfranchise women. MELBOURNE, October 15. In the State AseembJy Sir T. Bens introduced an Ad-nit Suffrage Bill.

I Mrs Johnson, of Rosa, Herefordshire, has become a chimney sweep, and at'Braunton, Devon, a woman is to be seen driving a , two-horse reaping machine. That there is nothing new in women invading men's occupations ie ehown, however by a warI rant to be seep in a Minories bookseller *a shop. This is signed by Sir Thomas Ghichely, Master-general of Ordnance to Charlf3 11, and appoint-: a woman ratcatcher to iko Tower.