Source 7:  Suffrage news, 'Shetland News', 23 March 1912

 

Description

This article first appeared in the 'Shetland News' on 23 March 1912.

The image has been provided courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archives.

Transcript

The reason for the outburst of militant suffragists, now that the Conciliation Bill is being gone on with, is that Mr Lloyd George has said that this Bill, which all Suffragists united in supporting, has been 'torpedoed' by the Reform Bill proposals. They therefore consider it a sham, and are fighting for its withdrawal. It rests with the Liberal party to show whether they are wrong.

Their outburst, which has led shallow supporters to say the cause is ruined, only makes constitutional Suffragists stand more firmly to their guns.

Lord Haldane in an able speech has shown the feebleness and incompetence of the position and arguments of anti-Suffragists, the strength and expansion given by education to all the powers and energies of women, the obligation on Suffragists to abide by their convictions, and to maintain a great and just cause all the more firmly because it has been made unpopular for the time. 'This great cause, this tremendous cause, rests on justice and reason, on a solid conviction, and on a desire to look at things from the point of view of the very highest interests of the State'.

Mr Agg-Gardner has shown that to withdraw the Conciliation Bill would be to disappoint hundreds of thousands of law-abiding women, who worked by methods of peaceful persuasion, and to gratify the turbulent few.

Mrs Fawcett has shown that the National Union, the Liberal Federation, The Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise League, the Welsh Women's Liberal Federation, The Independent Labour Party, the Fabian Society, the People's Suffrage Federation, the National British Women's Temperance Association, The Scottish Union, The National Union of Women Workers, The International Council of Women, the Association of Head Mistresses, The Association of University Women Teachers, The Incorporated Assistant Mistresses, The Society of Registered Nurses, the Women's Co-operated Guild (married women), and scores of other bodies peacefully advocate and petition for Suffrage.

Resolutions and declarations in favour have been made by - 143 Town and Local Councils, 49 Trade and Labour Councils, 38 Trade Unions and Federations.

Parliament has voted on the question with 167 majority in favour.

At the 22 bye-elections during the past year, 31 candidates were in favour.

The organised opinion of the county is in favour of the Conciliation Bill, now before Parliament for the third time. It has been successively introduced by a Labour, a Liberal, and a Conservative member.

Lord Cromer has resigned the presidency of the Anti-Suffrage League.

These facts should weigh in well-balanced minds against the actions of scarcely 200 women, driven to violence by the methods of politicians, to whom the blame of their conduct really attaches.