The great meeting in support of woman suffrage organised by
the Women's Liberal Federation was held in the Albert Hall last Saturday afternoon. As it was known beforehand that the National Women's Social and Political Union were resolved to wreck the meeting, three hundred male stewards had been retained to maintain order, but with instructions to use no personal violence ; and printed appeals were issued to the members and friends of the Federation to abstain from taking any part in any disturbance, and to the extremists to give Mr. Lloyd George a courteous hearing. Unfortunately these appeals, reiterated in Lady Maclaren's opening address, proved unavailing. The constant interruptions of a small but uncompromising body of extremists—estimated at less than a hundred out of a gathering of seven or eight thousand— who offered vigorous resistance to the stewards and others who removed them, led to.a succession of violent scenes, free-fights between men and struggles between men and women, which lasted for an hour and a quarter. The stewards have been freely accused of using unnecessary and even brutal violence ; but Lady Maclaren is confirmed by the manager and secretary of the Albert Hall in her statement that neither they nor any of the official staff of the ball took any part whatsoever in the ejection of the disturbers. At any rate, it seems clear that in circumstances of great provocation—e.g., one of the dissentient ladies was armed with, and freely used, a dogwhip- the great majority of the stewards showed remarkable patience and forbearance.
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