''The Common Cause'' was a weekly publication that supported the
National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the ''suffragists'' (not to be confused with the suffragettes) was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In March 1919 it w ...
(NUWSS),
was first published on 15 April 1909 and was mainly financed by
Margaret Ashton.
Its last issue was published on Friday, 30 January 1920, in which it announced its successor
''The Woman's Leader''.
History
In 1908, the Manchester councillor
Margaret Ashton sold her house in Didsbury to fund the creation of a newspaper,
which was eventually founded in an office in Manchester in 1912. The intention was that it would represent the policies of and publish news from the NUWSS, but for legal reasons it could not be an organ of the NUWSS .
Instead The Common Cause Publishing Co. Ltd was founded with an initial capital of £2,000 to publish the new paper.
Its first editor was
Helena Swanwick,
who chose the name "Common Cause" because she believed that humanity was "bi-sexual", in other words that there were not "women's causes" or "men's causes".
She resigned in June 1912, because of the policy of the NUWSS not to criticise the
WSPU, the main
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
organization, because she felt its militancy was hindering the progress of women's suffrage
and regarding them as "the greatest danger we have".
She wrote to
C. P. Scott on 19 July 1912, saying
"I have much sympathy for feminine rebellion. For their claptrap and dishonesty, for their persecution and terrorism, I have loathing."
From 1912 to 1913,
Clementina Black was editor.
In April 1913,
Maude Royden
Agnes Maude Royden (23 November 1876 – 30 July 1956), later known as Maude Royden-Shaw, was an English preacher, suffragist and campaigner for the ordination of women.
Early life and education
Royden was born in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, the ...
, who had been a regular contributor to the paper, took up the post of editor
which she held until 1914.
Its last editor was
Ray Strachey
Ray Strachey (born Rachel Pearsall Conn Costelloe; 4 June 188716 July 1940) was a British feminist politician, artist and writer.
Early life
Her father was Irish barrister Benjamin "Frank" Conn Costelloe, and her mother was art historian Mary ...
, who became editor after the end of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
See also
*
List of British suffragists and suffragettes
*
List of women's suffrage publications
References
External links
* Enter
itle: "The Common Cause"a
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London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Common Cause (NUWSS newspaper), The
Defunct weekly newspapers
Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom
Newspapers established in 1909