Free Suffragette by Carol Drinkwater

Christabel Pankhurst. Christabel has stated that women are
being driven to stone-throwing by the government. They are banned from attending public meetings and Mr Asquith continues to refuse to meet with the Union and will not discuss the matter. Every
avenue to the vote is being blocked.
    “I think these acts will do more harm than good,” said Flora.
    “But what else can we do?” I retaliated.
    “We? I sincerely hope, Dollie, that you are not involved with such carryings-on. I told you that I do not approve of unconstitutional acts to win the vote. I am as passionate about our
place in society as you are, but these methods will not gain us respect. In fact, I believe they will turn public support against us.”
    I finished my tea and set off for school without another word. During morning break, I asked one of my classmates, Celia, who seems rather nice, what she thinks about the Birmingham
women’s fate. Her answer was worse than Flora’s.
    “They deserve to be force-fed,” she said.
    I’d better keep my opinions to myself then.
    24th September 1909
    I attended a meeting at the WSPU offices this evening. It is the first I have been to since school began. Usually I arrive early and make tea. We always serve cakes on these
occasions, but as a mark of respect tonight we drank water. The place was packed. Women had come long distances to be with us. Christabel Pankhurst was chairing the evening. There was real concern
about the welfare of the imprisoned women.
    The meeting began with the reading of a letter written by our treasurer, Mrs Emmeline Pethwick-Lawrence, and published in today’s edition of
Votes for Women
. Naturally, it denounces
the force-feeding of women. It received applause and cheers. Questions followed. These were answered by Christabel, who assured us that her mother has a plan. She stated that, as leaders of the
WSPU, she and her mother and Mrs Pethwick-Lawrence are officially supporting the acts of the prisoners, including the stone-throwing, and that they intend to make a public statement tomorrow.
    During the break, the point at which we usually serve tea, I heard one or two members suggesting that Emmeline and Christabel had no choice but to stand behind the stone-throwers, even though
the Birmingham women acted on their own initiative. I have no idea whether this is true or not.
    Afterwards, another letter was read aloud to us, a truly shocking one. It had been written to Marion Wallace Dunlop by a force-fed prisoner and described her ordeal. When Marion had finished,
the room was silent. Another lady, who announced herself as a doctor, rose to inform us that the inserted tubes used for force-feeding are frequently unsterilized and infection is possible.
    I walked to the bus with Harriet Kerr, but we didn’t talk much. I think we both felt sickened.
    25th September 1909
    Today Mrs Pankhurst, Christabel and Mrs Pethwick-Lawrence have publicly supported the imprisoned women and denounced the government for inflicting such pain and humiliation on
them.
    At school, one of the teachers talked about what was happening. It turned into a class debate and I was relieved to discover that many of the girls were strongly against the government’s
actions.
    Celia and I ate our lunch together. She seemed less disapproving of the Birmingham women today – I think the debate this morning has made her reconsider her opinions – and I offered
to lend her my suffrage scrapbook. “It might give you an idea how long this battle has been going on,” I said.
    I sat next to a sweet old lady on the bus this evening who said she “had never heard the like in all her years”. Personally, I feel so angry and frustrated that it makes me want to
run round the streets of London, breaking windows and shouting.
    28th September 1909
    When I arrived home from school this evening, Mrs Millicent Fawcett was visiting with Flora. Flora called me into the drawing room to be introduced. I did not mention that