Suicide is bylaw a felony, and every good citizen is
bound to prevent this or any other felony by all the means in his power. This salutary rule of law is, however, according to Mr. Keir Hardie and certain other extremists, not to be applied in the case of the officials who superintend the State prisons. At least, that is the only meaning we can attach to the indigna- tion expressed by Mr. Keir Hardie at the prison authorities having fed certain women prisoners by force because they had threatened to starve themselves to death. We said some time ago that we did not intend to give the suffragists the advertisement they so obviously desired by noticing their offences against good conduct. We feel, however, that, without breaking this -rule, we may protest against the monstrous notion that the prison authorities are not to stop suicide when it is going on under their eyes. Perhaps we shall be told, that they have the alternative of letting the prisoners out- A moment's reflection will show that this is absurd. If prisoners could free themselves by refusing food
for a few days, imprisonment would become a purely voluntary obligation. Nobody need stay in beyond the short time necessary to reduce oneself to a condition of weakness which, if allowed to continue, might become dangerous. To speak of compulsory feeding as an outrage is utterly ridiculous. Such language is merely used in the hope of creating prejudice. Fortunately, however, the wider public has remained unmoved in the face of these absurd appeals.
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