BRITISH POLITICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8377, 11 March 1907, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE BILL. MEASURE "TALKED OUT." Received March 10, 4 p.m. LONDON, March 9. In the House of Commons the debate on the second reading of the Women's Suffrage Bill, introduced by Mr W. H. Dickinson, resulted in the: measure being "talked out." Mr Dickinson explained that the Bill was based on electoral equalisation, marriage being no disqualification. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman declared that owing to the difference of opinion on every bench of the House, it was the Government's duty to leave the question to the decision of the House. He would support the Bill mainly on the ground of expediency. There were many legislative questions on which a woman's opmion was as valuable as a man's, if not more so. He was not enamoured with the Bill, which enfranchised a small minority of well-to-do women, but did not touch in anything like an adequate degree the mass of working women and working men's wives. The measure was good as far as it went. He would vote for it as a declaration that the exclusion of women was neither expedient, justifiable nor politically right. Received March 10, 4.29 p.m. LONDON, March 9. Mr R. E. Whitehead, M.P. for Essex (S.E. division) moved, and Mr J. Bertram, M.P. for Herts, seconded, the rejection of the Bill. Mr P. Snowden, M.P. for Blackburn, said that it had been calculated that 82 per cent, of those who would l)e/ enfranchised under the Bill belonged to the working class. , Sir Francis Powell said that no European State accepted the principle of women's suffrage. Umversa suffrage was the ultimate end, and this would give women the ascendancy in Great Britain, because they •would outnumber the men. Mr D. J. Shackleton would vote for the second reading, but not the third reading if the property qualification were retained. Mr W. Redmond supported the Bill. Messrs J. Massie, W. R. Cremer, J. C. Wason and J. D. Rees opposed the Bill. Mr S. T. Evans, Liberal member for Glamorganshire, presented a petition, signed by 21,000 women, who were opposed to womanhood suffrage. Many members left London to avoid voting. During the progress of the debate fifty additional constables were on duty at Westminster daily. ? The Chronicle says that women s suffrage can come only after being before the country as a great measure of constitutional reform. The Westminster Gazette advises the women to educate the public on the matter.