The Globe. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1878.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1414, 27 August 1878, Page 2

The Globe. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1878.

One of tlio most salient features of the debate in the House of Representatives on the second reading of tlio Electoral Bill may bo said to bo, without doubt, that involving the question of giving tlio privilege of the franchise to women. Wo have already expressed our opinion on tho question. The warmest champion in tho past of tho so-called female rights in this colony, has undoubtedly been Sir Julius Vogel, whoso utterances on the subject, iu 1870, are on record. Tho present Attorney-General, Mr. Stout, is evidently imbued with similar notions on this ranch dissected subject, as tho contents of tho Electoral Bill now before tho Assembly amply shows. Tho honorable gentlemen, it is woll-knowu, has hobbies, especially iu politics; and when ho rides them ho invariably carries out tho process in a singularly uncompromising manner. Tho fate of tho Licensing Bill, over tlio advent of which so much had boon said and done, is yet within tho margin of a nine days’ wonder. And it is in this matter of extending full electoral privileges to females that the AttorneyGeneral seems to have made use of his professional special pleading, of which ho is a master. During the debate on the second reading of the Electoral Bill, however, tho largo majority of members expressed themselves strongly against tho introduction of a womanhood suffrage, notwithstanding what the father of the measure had taken so much pains to explain, in support of bis now hobby. Their opinion seemed to tend iu the direction that, to give female electors the full privilege of the franchise, as suggested by Mr Stout, was as illogical as it was uncalled-for. This “Female” clause of tbo Bill, besides, will almost certainly bo expunged from it. But it might bo well to point out that —as is invariably the case iu all now questions of reform—there has been no expression of public feeling brought to bear favorably upon tins womanhood suffrage. No action has been taken in tho matter by any section of tbo community, and no clamour in favour of its introduction has been heard, cither from tho ladies themselves or their friends and well-wishers. As wo said before, the whole thing has boon brought to light at the present moment, purely and simply as a hobby. Regenerators of fbo Inimap race, or at all events men who, through force of circumstances or otherwise, conceive tho notion that such is their “ platform” in life, aro oftentimes devoured with an insatiable and blind desire to indict upon others what they think ought to ho good for thorn. And of that class of mou, wo very much fear, tho Attorney-General and pome of his colleagues belong. Furthermore there pan. bo no doubt but ibis proposed innovation, of making women wear political breeches, is utterly irreconcileablo with the policy so loudly propounded by Sir George Grey during tlio recess. As wo have said before, to admit women to electoral rights because they aro ratepayers, and to exclude men who arc not so circumstanced, is entirely opposed to the far-fetched principle upon which the Ministry have all along pinned their faith, i.e., denying property-holders the privilege of representing property. A ratepayer’s qualification is, to all intents and purposes, a property one. Why then make llcsh of women and fish of the sterner sex ? During those debates on the Electoral Bill some very amusing arguments wore used, particularly against tlio Attorney-General s monomauiacal views of wbat may bo called tbo “ politicalßloomorism question.” Tho sex of women, which should be sufiivi.ent to prevent their holding seats in tbo House, was found under the residential clause to bo no bar indeed to their throning there as full-blown legislator*. If (his female suffrage clause passed, remarked an lion, member, such a state of things as g man contesting a seat against his wife might bo seen. ” Tlionjfancy waggishly added the speaker ’ W omen coming into Parliament and beginning by putting a prohibitory duty on tobacco and pipes, and perhaps preventing gentlemen from smoking Withcgt tho consent of their wives. And thou members in Lie Housu woiild bo compelled to stay at homo to look after babies instead of looking after Bills. Fancy, lain oik the Attorney-General becoming a victim to bis own measures! One of bis colleagues, however, had considerately removed the .duty from perambulators. Thou again,

if public-houses wore to ho closed on polling-days, so should the drapers’ shops, because a now bonnet might ho just as effective as a bottle of rum for bribery purposes. The Legislature would also have to prohibit promises of marriage on polling days, and certainly would have to stop kissing. What chance, furthermore, would an old man stand against a young candidate P ” And so on ad libitum those opponents of the pot clauses of the Attorney-General’s Bill wont on ringing the changes upon the many absurdities which a state of electoral and Parliamentary Bloomorism, as dreamt of by Mr. Stout, might fairly bo expected to bring in his train. The hon. gentleman, wo must remark, certainly wants to limit the rights of the Female Franchise to that very small proportion of the sox which is represented on the rate-rolls of the colony. But most people will agree that, generally speaking, the femme sole of an ago to secure the right of voting is a more valuable specimen of the fair sox than the femme couverte who seldom acquires the pecuniary adjuncts necessary to obtain these rights, but somewhat late in life. One thing is again painfully apparent, and it is that on this Womanhood Suffrage question, as in others of perhaps much greater importance, the members of the Cabinet are disunited and absolutely “ at sixes and seven.” The Bill, without a doubt will bo . considerably scarified in committee.