The Suffragette.

White Ribbon, Volume 17, Issue 204, 18 June 1912, Page 6

The Suffragette.

(To the F.ditor.)

Dear Madam, Let me assure Mrs. Cole and your readers generally that in writing as I d ; d in m> letter to the April number of the “ White Ribbon ” I was under no misapprehension. I had before me an extract from Mrs. Cole’s Presidential address, published in the “ Otago Witness.” It contains the passage to which Mrs. Cole refers me—” Let us never utter a dispar uring word of them or their methods,” .... and it was

those words and the preceding glorification of the Suffragettes that called forth my protest. If we are not to disparage the Suffragettes, we must hold them justified. I do not “ disparage ” ; 1 repudiate and denounce their principles and conduct. In her whole defence of these, Mrs. Cole implicitly adopts the Jesuitical —or, as 1 termed it, ‘‘ the devil’s own ” plea of expediency—a good end justifies bad methods.

So far from retracting anything, I wish I could find stronger words to protest against the evil of allowing our sympathies with a cause betfav us into paltering with eternal laws of right and wrong.

I regret to find Mrs. Cole reiterating the sophistical plea that we must not judge the British Suffragettes because their conditions are so different from ours. No difference of conditions excuses defiance of the laws of God and man I have had somewhat fuller means of acquiring information about the 44 militant ” party than those possessed by the ordinary newspaper reader. But the information given by our daily papers is alone sufficient to uphold me. It is futile to talk of exaggeration and bias. Are we to believe that the Press Association systematically forges records of law cases and reports of the leaders’ statements ?

Butting violence on one side, the Suffragette campaign of obstruction and retaliation is ignoble and m'sehievous ; certainly not a plan of action that should commend itself to the leader of an organisation formed to uphold the highest standards of chic morality. Mrs. Colt may reply that obstruction and retaliation are recognised weapons of modern political parties. But it if commonly urged as a recommendation of woman suffrage that it will raise and purify politics. It is a sad blow* to such hopes to see women seeking to gain admission into the political field by resorting to f he worst methods of male politicians.

But I desire to lay stress on the illegal acts of the Suffragettes ; their conspired attacks on the public by window’ smashing and other acts of violence. No grievances whatever can excuse rioting and defiance of those fundamental law’s of society without which it could not hold together for a day If one class is justified in resorting to violence to vindicate its claims, so are all classes. Cannot Mrs. Cole see what her apology for such conduct implies ? You, madam, will not desire » prolonged controversy, and I do not tlvnk it will be needful for me to reply to any future letters on this subject. Wishing that some recognised leader among us had anticipated tne in protest,—l remain, vours, etc..

EDITH lIODGKINSON, May mi2. A Suffragist

(To the Editor.)

Madam, The April number of 44 The* White Ribbon,” contains the address given by the President of the N./,. Women’s

Christian Temperance Vnion at the twenty-seventh annual Convention, held in Dunedin. In this address, speaking <>t the tactics of the Sufiragists in England, and their recent rioting and vriminal behaviour, she says : —“ bet us never utter a disparaging word ol them or their methods. \Ne, who won the lranchisc by peaceful tactics because our public men were just and chivalrous, have no right to question the methods of these sisters,” etc.

ims astounding defence was replied to by “ hahih llodgkinson, a Suffragist, ’ in a letter brief, iorclble, and so thoroughly to the point that one might have expected it to carry conviction ol the truth to even the most biased and unreasoning sympathiser with these “ Militant Suffragettes.” On the contrary, not only has no accord been expressed with the sentiments <>l the writer, but in the May number ol “The White Ribbon appears a letter lrom the President, signed “K. Cole,” a letter which cannot be dignified by the title ol an “ explanation ” of her previous utterances, as it is merely a feeble and futile evasion of the point, and, could she but comprehend it, contains a most ridiculous charge of untruthlulness against cable and newspaper authorities. The words of the immortal poet apply with equal force tu these misguided women, the ” Militant Suffragettes ” and their would-be glorihers of the N.Z. W.C.T.U.

o wad some pooer the giltie gie us, j o see oursels as ilhers se*e us !

—Could anything have put into the hands of the opposers of Women's Franchise a stronger weapon than that supplied by the actnws ol these “ Militants ” ? Ordinary morality, common sense reasoning, and sober fair-mindedness set at naught for the exhibition ol hysterical violence and meanest destructiveness ! O tempora ! (> mores ! Trusting that a more able pen than mine will uphold Christian Temperance in this connection. I am, A WOMAN OF NEW ZEALAND. May 30, 1912. All communications from Officers, Superintendents of Departments, and others, for the Onehunga Union, must be addressed or sent to Mrs. De Wolfe, Onehunga, instead ol to the late Sec., Mrs. Watson.