An agitation which was now resulting in the placing on the Statute Book of a Home Rule Bill, while another equally deadly agitation--in promise--was being worked up by Sir Edward Carson, the Duke of This and the Marquis of That, and a very rising politician, Mr.F.E.Smith, to defeat the operation of Home Rule for Ireland.

In short, if one might believe the second-rate ministers who were not repudiated by their superiors in rank, the Vote for Women could only be wrung from the reluctance of the tyrant man, _if_ the women made life unbearable for the male section of the community.
It was a dangerous suggestion to make, or would have proved so, had these sneering politicians been provoking men to claim their constitutional rights: bloodshed would almost certainly have followed.

But the leaders of the militant women ordered (and were obeyed) that no attacks on life should be part of the Woman's militant programme.

Property might be destroyed, especially such as did not impoverish the poor; but there were to be no railway accidents, no sinking of ships, no violent deeds dangerous to life.
At the height and greatest bitterness of militancy no statesman's life was in danger.
The only recklessness about life was in the militant women.

They risked and sometimes lost their lives in carrying out their protests.