November 29, 1911, To the Editor of The Manchester Guardian, “What can Militant Methods Achieve?”

Davison’s letter laying out a clear exposition of the strategy of the WSPU in the aftermath of the Liberal Government’s withdrawal of support for a Woman Suffrage Bill unabashedly embraces the kind of militant assaults on property that characterized the WSPU march the night of November 21, 1911, when it entered on a campaign of window smashing. Davison asserts that women are determined, strong, and ready to endure a great deal to achieve their goal. The editor of the Guardian has a decidedly different opinion, calling Davison’s explanation a description of a “crazy scheme.”

Sir, –One of your leaders to-day has the title, ‘What can militant methods achieve?’ in which you criticise Miss Pankhurst’s clear exposition of the W.S.P.U. position in this matter as ‘either frivolous…or it assumes that the militants can by such methods bring about the end they desire, that is, the capitulation of the Government.’ You then challenge a clear explanation of the methods, and assert that ‘till someone does explain it, or at least try to, it is to be assumed that the question is found not convenient or not possible to be answered.’

With your permission I gladly take up the challenge. First of all, may I quote Mr. McKenna’s words as reported in your issue of last Saturday to a W.S.P.U. deputation? Miss Barrett asked the question—‘Then you are one of the Cabinet Ministers who would resign if this was made a Cabinet measure?’ Mr. McKenna replied, ‘It never will be. As far as I am concerned I stand in exactly the same position as the Prime Minister,’ etc.

Now that statement made it clear that the Cabinet is resolved not to make women’s suffrage a Government measure. We are resolved that it shall. You ask me to say how. By the most strenuous militancy up and down the country, of which November 21 is but a small earnest, until a general feeling of insecurity is aroused. You will perhaps say that women cannot do this. May I remind you that even an anti-suffragist, Mr. Rudyard Kipling, has recently written that ‘the female of the species is more deadly than the male.’ You yourselves always have recognized in our ranks the spirit which is ready to endure all things. That is the secret of militancy by means of which it must inevitably win. Nothing can stand against it! Yours, &c.,

EMILY WILDING DAVISON
31 Coram-street, London, W.C.,
November 27, 1911

[The really ludicrous position is that Mr. Lloyd George is fighting to enfranchise seven million women and the militants are smashing un-offending people’s windows and breaking up benevolent societies’ meetings in a desperate effort to prevent him. To compare that with any great popular uprising of the past is too absurd a plea to require confutation.—Ed. ‘GUARD’]