CANTERBURY WOMEN’S INSTITUTE.

White Ribbon, Volume 1, Issue 5, 1 November 1895, Page 3

CANTERBURY WOMEN’S INSTITUTE.

At the ordinary monthly meeting of the Canterbury Women’s Institute, correspondence was received from the Auckland Women’s Political League, Auckland Liberal League, Gisborne Women’s Political League, Springfield Institute, Progressive Liberal Association, and the Editress of the Sydney Women's Voice. A donation from a friend, towards the funds of the Institute, was gratefully received. Major Steward’s Elective Executive Bill was read and discussed. The following resolution was unanimously passed cordially endorses tho Elective Executive Bill. It is of opinion that any measure which will forward the abolition of party Government and remove from our members the reproach of * dumb dogs* (witness the no-confidenoe debate) is to be welcomed.” The Auckland Women’s Political League forwarded propositions for the of the Institute, urging that “all persons who have served a term of imprisonment, all persons who have been twice convicted in the Magistrate’s Court, involving imprisonment, should be disfranchised for three years after release.” Also, “ All persons who are maintained by the State or any benevolent institution.” The proposals met with tho strongest disfavour. In the first case, it was considered a glaring injustice to brand as criminals those who have already worked out their punishment. Such stood in need of moral support rather than of public reprobation, and the Institute held that prisoners had been treated too much as a worthless and hopeless element of the community. With regard to disfranchising those maintained by tho State, the endorsing of such a proposal was held to be illogical on the part of a society which strongly supported old age pensions. It was pointed out that it would be indeed ungenerous on the part of women, the latest enfranchised, to make the disfranchisement of unfortunates one of their first objects. The follow ing resolution was unanimously passed : —“ The Canterbury Women’s Institute emphatically dissents from the proposals of the Auckland Women’s Political League to disfranchise for three years persons who have served a term of imprisonment, and, permanently, those who are maintained by the State, as it considers such proposals entirely anti-socialistic in tendency.”