MILITANCY AND THE SUFFRAGE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 138, 17 July 1914, Page 6

MILITANCY AND THE SUFFRAGE.

To the Editor of THE SUIT. Si-r,—After having beeil editorially thrashed anil put in the corner for my I v<H'y mild protest against your attiturta I towards L?at}y Stout's views? m&y 1 ask, , " you one gr questions relating t{> ~women '$ murage in Ormt Sriiaiu# For fifty yosyrs wmea's Tight tG VOtS was ignored by* ewaosmve English Cover nroents, ami the. "whole svbject was, indeed, treated with ridicule as being owt of the Ttange of pfactic-ai polities. Militant methods began, abottt. : r eight years ago, and witfiii that periad women's suffrage has become tTie~domh, inant factor in British political *Jif©« ;• Can you, sir, suggest any method «*ther than militancy which would be effectual in bringing the subject forcibly in front of the people. You say, referring to the suffragettes that "they have - shocked the civilised.,world with their defiant vandalism.So also did th® leaders of the Reformation and those, who took part in the American rebellion "shock the civilised world with their defiant vandalism. '' It i? only - . through being frequently shocked th/tt the world has, 'become civilised,, Yoit also speak of the suffragettes' " grave offences against "fche <lr6wii. r? No doubt in their time both the compulsory sigfif ing of Magna Charta and Crbmwell'a doings were spoken, .of- a^'grave offences against the Crown,'' but noW-cwsss-te) as« laakftd a.a | uteritortoiis perforM&fld SS. ffow . J eaa ; any i group of voteless people Agitata I s\leeissfa.liy in a " eoastitutional mancmar a [ami what is worm, inftiti&vvce, li &s- sips' -- vrCft Csfee iifj. % Stllff tragc di tliei agst; sfegtl&fiS, f j-da wiH'itgfs&th&t t many .a long fear of the meW-and-inilf} , I methods of a decade ago before eithet. 'great, party would have' taken\ the, quea« tion up seriously. i Apologising for ' the length of. this* [letter.—l am, etc., > . PEBYET, OEUS.