Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/753

WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 737 irrespective of party "the best friend of Women's Suffrage." After the defeat of the Conciliation Bill in 1912 when 42 so- called "friends" voted against it, we resolved in the future that the best friend was a man who was not only personally satis- factory but who also belonged to a party which had made Women's Suffrage a plank in its platform. This meant support for the Labour Party and for the development of this policy we raised a special fund called the Election Fighting Fund and took active steps in canvassing and speaking for Labour men whenever they presented themselves as candidates for vacant seats. Our movement had now become the storm centre of Eng- lish politics. A well known labour leader wrote of the political situation in February, 1913, as follows: "The Women's Suf- frage question will now dominate British politics until it is set- tled. It has within the last few weeks killed a great Government measure and it has done more than that. It has made it im- possible for this or any succeeding Liberal Government to deal with franchise reform without giving votes to women. The Labour Party will see to that." In 1913 the N.U.W.S.S. organised the greatest public demon- stration it had ever made. We called it The Pilgrimage. It meant processions of non-militant suffragists, wearing their badges and carrying banners, marching towards London along eight of the great trunk roads. These eight processions, many of them lasting several weeks, stopped at towns and villages on their way, held meetings, distributed literature and collected funds. It was all a tremendous and unprecedented success, well organised and well done throughout. (Described in detail in The Women's Victory.) 'Flic Pilgrimage made a very great impression and was favourably commented on in the organs of the press which had never helped us before. We finished The 1'ilgrimage with a mass meeting in Hyde Park on July 26, where we had seventeen platforms, one for each of our federa- . We asked Mr. Amjuith and the leaders of other political parties to receive a deputation from The Pilgrimage the follow- ing week. They all accepted with the exception of Mr. John Redmond. When Mr. ,M|iiith received us his demeanor was far less unfriendly than it had ever been before. He admitted