FEMALE FRANCHISE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3131, 9 August 1892, Page 3

FEMALE FRANCHISE.

» TO TUK EDITOR. Sir.—l see t'nnt tho question of extending the franchise to women is being seriously considered by thoae people who are popularly supposed to represent us in Parliament, (that is to say. if any question outside perhaps the voting of their honorarium can be considered seriously). Now, Sir I want to know what rarthly right these men have to deal with this question during the present Parliament ? Was it given serious attentfon to .it the last election ? and if even mentioned by .a candidate was it ever seriously thought of as within the range of practical politics ? Without fear of contradiction, I say distinctly it was not. I see that the member for Waipi, Mr Lake has spoken in the House in favour ■of the measure. Well, I voted for Mr Lake, and worked to secure his return ; lbut had I suspected for one instant that he would be a party to springing this surpii.se upon the country, I, for one, would not have been found among his supporter?, and have little doubt that I but echo the sentimerjisof many others. .A question such as this, which would Tevolutionisa the whole of our electoral Haws and seeks to inflict a cruel wrong ■upon the other sex, deserves more profound consideration than is likely to be afforded it by the present Parliament and demands an express verdict from the country. That, sir, is my objection to the question being discussed and settled by the present Parliament. My objections to the proposal in itself are many, and with your jpermis3ion I will offer a few of them. In the first place, it must be logically conceded that if yon confer votes on •women you must throw wide open the ( <ioors of the political and judicial arena t t "> them ; there can be no half measure Ha-viug conceded this much, the next que ifcion is : Is it practicable ? and, if practicable, is it desirable ? Is it possible *'" s0 educate and alter the whole nature o( .the sex to enable them to make the laws wJvich govern both sexes, and then, having made the laws, to administer them—for , t' l3 ' is what extending the franchise to w'omeii means if it means anything. No o"ne who studies the question will' deny th'at it would be utterly intolerable to have two classes of voters the one superior and the other inferior ; the one to whom the highest places in the land, politically and judicially, were open, and the other to whom they were not, as proposed by the present measure. D?or the sake of argument granting that it were possible to place the sexes on an equality in this matter, would it be in the least desirable? To anyone who takes tho trouble to think on this subject, an instance of how it would be likely to work was afforded the other day in Auckland. A "lady—well educated, high minded, and in every way (save that she was a lady) well qualified— .sought election udou the Auckland Edu•cation Board. Happily for her she was not elected ; but, suppose upon the other Jiand she hid obtained a si:at upon the Board, and in the course of her duties she had had to sit in judgment upon a laifce notorious case that was brought before the Board, which resulted in tin; dismissal of a master, can you, Sir, fancy •what would have been her feelings, or the feelings of those gentlemen who would have had to assist her in thuir deliberation ? If a case like this occurs in a practically limited sphere of action, what Is likely to be the result in a mnns extended field ? Would not a s-imilar objection prevail with ten fold force ? Would any of your readers care to know .that possibly a wife, or daughter might '.be called upon to discuss in a mixed

nssuml>liii>(! sumo of tlhj n<;(; u .s-ary Acts of the English in the Kntrlish language ? No. Sir ; take my word for it, it Mould be wrong and cruel to t;ike woman out of that sphere she has adorned for untold ages, aud to si;ek to deprive her of that which in most men's eyes constitute her chief charm—womanliness. I have already exceeded the limit of an ordinary letter, and will, with your permission, defer any remarks of a minor nature to another time. —Youra etc., C. B.