Women and the Vote.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11, 11 September 1912, Page 62

Women and the Vote.

I'ut me t.ii mi island Whore tho girls ore fevv: J'i'l me among I ho most tcr<M-i<ms Lions in tho Z »«»; I’ut mo in Ihe desert And I II novor fret; But. for pity's sake. Don’t pel me near ;i Suffragette. That. <>r something like it. was a. verse of a song that had ho small metsur< of popularity in tin* early days of rampant militancy among the suH'ragists. To-day the words of this almost moribund music-hall ditty have quite a sinister sound, for criminal madness ► ooms Io hive completely taken possession of the aggress : ve element among the women who want votes. Xot. content with window-smashing ami stone-throw-ing. they have, it seems, no objection to adding murder and arson to the weapons by the aid of which they seek to "emancipate’’ themselves and to prove tlnir litness for political responsibility. It is positively dangerous to lie near a militant suffragist three days, for at any moment sin* may "go off.” App.ir cutlv it only needs the sight of a C abinet Minister to make her long for blood and to turn her into a reckless hatchet ••dinger. bomb-thrower, or “lireInig.” 'There is. of course, no absolute proof that suffragists were responsible for the appearance of highly inflammable materials behind the curtains in tin 1 11 time Secretary's study Mr McKenna declares that the packages found were not explosives, as at lirst suggested or that the fires that have occurred at oilier Ministers’ residences were caused by them. Few people, however, entertain serious doubts as to where the r< sponsibility lies, ami the happenings in Dublin during the Prime Alinider’s visit last week are now accepted sulln ieiit e\ idciu-e ol the existence of a. widespread conspiracy among the "mad-brains'* of the militant tion to institute a reign of terror embracing any sort and all sorts of excesses in crime. <lf course, the creature who thiew the hatchet at Mr Asquith, and clipped a piece out ol Mr Redmond's ear. was mad. ami -o was the woman who tried to set lire to Ihe theatre v.-hiUt it was >till full of people. Mad, also, without doubt,’are tin* women implicated by the di*»*o\ciy in tlnir 100 ms of tin* materials for bomb outrages ana arson, but would their madness save them iiom tin* gallows if any of their wicked attacks produced fat il results ' It might, for in Iln-e days tin* law very im-rciful to the "gentle -< x." but it would not s.i\c them from being Ij mln d 11 the people got hold o: them. There were -dgns in Dublin that t hi’ militant sulliagist.s h.iv<- got to tin* «• id of the tellur ol public toleration, ami that in future women who ar** insane < imugli to indulge in excesses which constitute a rva I lima;•>* to life and j iopcrtv will inn a very ’•erioiis danger ol drastic and most unpleasant reprisals: indeed. tin \ may easily provoke ma iiilostat ioii> of public anger <<f which tin* people will be bitterly ashamed when their wrath has rtwded. \s a constable said when the suffragettes wer<* carrying out tlnir Wewt I.ml window -m i *diing « .»mpaigu : “ I’lnv II go a hit too far one ol thexe days, ami hit a kiddy’s head instead of a window, and then God help ’em; we shan’t he übh to *ave ’em.’’ That hatchet thrown at Mi Asquith might easily hive found a child's head instead of tlic tip of Mr Redmond’s ear. Who can say what would have happened iu that