Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Friday 17 January 1913, page 44


RETURN OF LADY STOUT.

BOMB IDEAS OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE.

(From "Thc Auckland Weekly News.'')

- Always keenly interested in, problems con-.corning women, : Lady 8 tout* who arrived from London by the Malwa, and left Anck

aud for Wellington the samelday. has,-during her three yean' stay .in-J¡ngíand, been

ono of tlie foremost fighters in the cause of women's suffrage. Speaking with « week-' ? ly News representative, she threw some en-tirely new lights on the subject of the mili-tant movement, which has been so univer-sally decried since the last tis windoiv

sinashings in London. ^

Militantism in connection-w,^ the fight for suffrage bas a warm advocate in Lady Stout j "Without militantism," «he declared, "women Will gain nothing. That is fairly well recognised to-day, and hundreds of people who openly have to condemn the militant section are yet in secret sympathy with it. Thc recent alleged 'split in tité ranks of the suffrage leaders, out of which the anti-suffragists have made 60 much capi-tal, is easily explained. There really is no split at all. Mr. Pcthwick Lawrence, one of the leaders, who has money, was made by law responsible for all damage done to pro-perty in the recent window-sinashings, al-though he had never uttered even a word of militancy, and had always, whcii speaking, confined himself to the. wages question. - So it was decided, in orded to prevent his money beiug seized in such a barefaced manner, that he and his wife should coutiuuc the paper "Votes for Women," while the Pankhurfcts should coutrol the new militant paper "Thc Suffragette," Thus Mrs. and M Ls Pankhurst are now responsible for all dam-age done to property, and, ag they have no money, they cannot be expected to pay finea."

When women get the much-desired vote, they*-? will not, Lady Stout, said.'confine themselves to looking into the licensing question. They arc out to reform two of th j gratest curses of modern England-the sweating of women and the Milite slave trafile. The average wage received per week by thc women workers of England" is seven shillings. "Equal pay for equal work" 's thc suffragist cry. Thc passing of the White Slave Traffic Bill in its entirety was, Lady Stout declared, due entirely to the efforts of the women of England.

The number of suffragist sympathisers is steadily increasing, Lady Stout went «in to

say, and, at thc ¿resent time over 2,000 people aro joining per mouth. When .LadyStout weht home three years ago there were just three suffrage societies in existence-; -the

National Union for Women Suffrage, of which

Mrs. Fawcett was president ; -Mrs. Pank-

hurst's society, the W.S.F.U.: and the Free-* dom League, presided over by Mrs. Despard.

There are now 30 societies, which include tho People's League, thc Women Writers* League,, thc University Graduates* League, and the Tax-Resistance League, the lastnamed having secured hundreds of converts to the cause. "Twenty-six million pounds" Lady Stout said, "are paid annually in taxes into the Treasury by English women, and naturally there is much resentment created when the injustice of their not having a voice in the expenditure of it is pointed out to them. We appeal to their pockets first, but almost invariably find hearts and brains

behind them."

Three church leagues also assist in tho suffragist work, thc ? Church of England, thc Free Church, and -the Roman Catholic Lea-gues.- Before a petition Ss' presented or a

procession takes plac, church services are' held and prayers aré offered .up by all those leagues on behalf of thc women taking part; "And these," Lady Stout remarked scorn fully, "aro what thc host'lo. press call 'hood;, lum parades!' " ,j' ' . 'x

In conclusion, Lady Stout Bau) thaft/ju her opinion,. nothing had -done /moro-for 'demo-cracy than thc women« suffrage movement. It was a- great'leveller, and.had brought out a fine spirit of/camaraderie amongst women. In thft big suffrage procession in London, re-cently, in wli "ch 50,000 women took part

countesses walked hand in .hand with shop-, girls, and Home Rule'women ¿nd Orange women marched proudly 'together under the

same banner. The movement has created more sympathy between woman and woman than'has;eX!Sted in the world before; and there is a true sisterhood coming into being, she concluded, that will make the brother-hood of juan look' a small thing by com par ¡son. ?