Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878] MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1892.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4222, 19 September 1892, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878]

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1892.

Being the extended title of the Waibaraiu Daily, with which it is IDENTICAL.

The Evtning Post very properly objects to a proposal emanating from certain members of the Legislative l Council that 6ome special facilities should be given to women in recording their votes, Theoretically our contemporary is perfectly right in the position it has taken up and woman, iovely woman, if she cares to exercise the franohise must take the bitter with the sweet and march up to the poll as valiantly as if she were a man. Iu a keonly contested election, especially where a radical candidate is to the fore and the labour party is in lull feather the exercise of the franchise is not an unalloyed delight. Bauds of youths with larrikin tendencies, are carefully organised to boot, yell, and generally misconduct themselves. But this is not all, for at tho last general election in Masterton, pelting unpopular voters with stones was a fav< ourite amusement of the juvenile supporters of the winning candidate, Of course the police were powerless to oheck little ebulitions of this kind and we are not aware that the slightest effort was made to preserve order. The situation women will havo to face at the next general election will be, going to and from the polling booths while young larrikins are volleying stones in all directions. However, this difficulty might he met by swearing in a hundred special constables to preserve order in the town. Tho necessity (or such a provision as this has already ariEPn in Masterton without the female vote; but, with the new responsibilities whioh will be incurred when the suffrage comes to be exercised, some stringent measures for keeping down rowdyism and personal violence will undoubtedly have to be resorted to.

When female suffrago comes to be exercised in New Zealand its influence will naturally be expended in the direction of putting down intemperance, larrakinism, and crime. On questions of tbis kind women are likely to be earnest and sympathetic, They will take their voting instruc. tions from the churches and from the Temperance Societies, aud tbis will not be altogether a bad thing. Ministers of all denominations naturally exeroise a wide and powerful moral sway over the majority ol the women in New Zealand, To whom should a woman, with a careless or intemperate husband, look for direction for her own duty and for the well being of ber children but to the head of the cliuroh which Bhe attends or possibly would attend were she able to be present. A Woman's Suffrage Act will widely extend the authority of the Church and will be distinctly on the side of public and private morality, There are many grave objections to its exercise and the legislature, in conceding it, takes a leap in the dark, but at least we have the consolation of knowing that women when they do 1 enjoy political power will as Lord Beaconsfield onoe put it" Be on the idaof the Angels,"