MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1067, 6 May 1882, Page 2

MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

The Sooioty held its usual weekly sitting at the Institute last night when seventeen members were present, the President (Mr Grundy) in the chair. The usual routine business having been disposed of, Mr Hall opened in the affirmative on the question " Should the franchise be extended to women V He argued that it should. Women were allowed to hold estates, and compelled to pay taxes and they should therefore be allowed to have a voice in the Government of the country. He shawed that women naturally had the welfare of the whole community more at heart than men, and would be for that reason more likely to vote for good measures than men were. He was certain if women had votes war would soon cease, as they were the chief sufferers. Women were now allowed to have equal mental power with men, and occupied places of trust in England, practised as lawyers and doctors in America, and were in the van in literary genius, and this, being so, why should they be dobarred from the privilege of voting f Ho showed that where women were kept down as among savage and semi-civilized people that people were bound to remain in a degraded state, as the young received impressions more from their mother than their father. If women were placed on an equal fooling to men in all respects, the world would be far more advanced than it was. Why, the people who argued against the franchise being extended to women now, were those who argued against it being extendedto the working men, and were the working men less able to exercise the privilege than the squire, simply because the latter had pounds, shillings, and pence instead of brains ?. The same arguments were now used against women that were formerly used against men, viz,, they would not understand, and would therefore abuse the privilege.' He (the speaker) held that in practical matters a woman's sagacity was in many instances greater than man's, and on important social questions they could give a sounder judgment than men, He referred to Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, and many eminent women to show the fitness of the sex for franchise, and asking the members to vote with him sat down amid loud applause, MrJames Bussell who had taken up the negative said he was unfortunately not prepared with his subject. He made a humorous speech and said ho could not see how a woman with fourteen children could be expected to devote attention to the affairs of Slate. He considered Mr Hall had made the best of a bad job. He ridiculed women acting as doctors, and could not imagine one of them taking the leg off an old fellow like him, (Laughter.) Women were all very well in their place, and he thought that was at home. Mr Woodroofe opposed, on the ground that women in Franco went to balls in low necked dresses for the express purpose of deception; they fooled some men, and these, when thoy got into Parliament, of course voted against them voting. He thought perhaps unmarried women should have the vote. He considered women would be extravagant, and that the State was rotten for want of intelligence. Mr DeCastro opposed the opener. With regard-to savages' wives, he considered they got on the best with their husbands. No one ever heard of a Maori fighting his wife, but it was common to hear of a white man doing so. Those who advocated women suffrage were those who wished to get out of hard work, and let the women earn their living, while they cooked and washed and looked after the children. No true woman would attend an election, and no man would take them to one, with bags of flour and bad language flying about on all sides. _ Mr Eoydhouse supported the affirmative, on the ground that British women had advanced at the same rate as men, and that the latter could without danger remove all restriction against female suffrage, lhose women who really desired to vote, could, by the ready access to books and the constant perusal of newspapers, .qualify themselves to do so, It would he found, however, that very few women would avail themselves of the privilege, as most married women of intelligence already voted through their husbands. With regard to only unmarried women woting, he considered if aliy should be deprived of the privilege it was these, as the woman (instanced by Mr Russell) s who had fourteen children had fourteen'times more interest in the good government of the country than women who had not even a husband.

Mr Rapp opposed the question. Women were better at homeland would not trouble themselves to vote if they had the privilege. • Mr Redman would agree to women having votes in some matters, but not to the same extent as a man. After Mr Hall had replied, the vole was taken, resulting in 9 voting for and 7 against, The affirmative was declared carried. The subject for next meeting is: "Skuld laud in New Zealand be nationalised.'