SANDERS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XVII, Issue 883, 19 June 1891, Page 6

SANDERS.

4As I wissnyin', Kirsty had m on y things tae spier at Mr Seddon i' the coots'? o' the e'enin', an' used a hantle <•>' le^terty wi 'm as she wis sac well aequant an' familiar- wi 'in i' the auld times. She spiert after the puir bodies o' civil servants he had turned oot o' their places. He said be was as sorry for them as any woman could be, but. found they could be done without, a-id hir, first duty was to the ratepayers who were overburdened by the payment of so many large salaries to the drones of the overgrown (ftovernmout bee hive. Of coorse Kirsty cu'dna deny this, but she gaed 'in a sly hint that maybe the needcessity o' niakin' nne's sell popular wi' the ratepayers for the sake o' their votes wad mak' ane mair stirrin' in searchin' oot the drones as he cad th^in. She said she had read about the greet in' wives nu' bairns an' wis real wae for them ; she didna kbti fat wis tae become o' them. In order tao comfort her a bit, MrSoddon said they would not want ; they could join the ranks of the unemployed, and he would give them 9s a-day. " An'," said Kirsty, " hoo moikle will the ratepayers save by the transaction ?" Mr Seddon wis raither taen aback there, .an' said he hadna gaen intae the fibers. I cd see this anser didna please Kirsty athegether, but slie had tip pet up vvi't. She just, said she thocht if she had tae dae wit she wad 'a' managed't different. There wi.s here a short devall i oor conversation, an' Kirsty sad we twa cd sit. an' crack as long as we lik'd ; she wis gaen tao her bed, but before gaen there wis a m-iiter she wad like tae ken his mind on, an' that wis aboot g'ein votes tae women. Mr Seddon got oot wi aloodlauch, an' sed, " If all the women were as good looking and as pawkie (that's a good word, isn't it, Sanders'?) as you are they would soon have votes." " That's jusr, a pot aff," says Kirsty, ''same's ye did wi the depetations, but I'm no' tae be pettin aff ; I maun hae aye or nae." " Well," said he, " I am now gatheringinformation on the subject, and will giv-p it my favourable consideration." " That'll nae dae wi m^," says Kirsty, who was noo gettin' warm on't. "Ye aloo rnoenistors o' the Croon — aye, an' meenisters o' nnit-her kind — say the family is the foundation o' a' society, an' ye say tae that the family circle is oor place ; that is, that we are the foundation o' soc:ety. A' societies an' institutions o' every well-governed country are biggit on the family model — a model o' women's in akin 1 an carin' o' ; an' wha's at the tip — the rooftree as ane wad say? Is't no a 'onian, an' a gon'd croon on her head 1 Ye are ready tae fa' doon on yer knees an' worship her, an' yet winna ge ither women — every ac bit as quid an' quid looking as she is — a richt tae vote for c'en a colonial member o' Parliament. Noo, Mr Seddon, I'm no tae be mealy mooed wi ye ; ye ken something o' strikin'. (I dinna refer tae the bully o' the Wast Coast 't y-s loundered sac weel) an' boycottin', an' maybe if a' was kent ye hue haen a quid deal tae flae i that line no lang syne; but what I'm tae say is just this: Ye treat us women as yer slaves, but a worm can turn, an' sac can a slave, although only a 'oman. We can strike an' boycott tae, an' we'll dae it, mm' that. I noo tell ye that till oor names are on the roll it will be 'hands aff' tae every man an' mither's son o' ye. No a dauchter o' oors will marry or be gi'e.n in marriage tae ana o' ye men. , This will be sic a strike an' boycott as neither you nor ony ither ane ever heard o'. Noo, ye can think ower't. Giiid nicht." And- wi' ;that Kirsty boonced oot o' the room, her coontenans flamin' like a nor'-east mune.

My freen' sat, doomfoonert like for a jifiie, an' sine, got oot ( wi'.a lo >d giffaw o' auchnj' ; ho roared tii] the tears were •in v in* doon his wi->j-coat, an' cad ac lin' tae ha'fl his sidos or they wad split. It toi.k mo a quid wliilo tae get liini ' coution'd doon. ''I was laugh'ng,'"' said he, " at. the consternation that will be depicted on Sir Goorire Grey's jouutcnai.ce so soon as lie hoars the rt'ninei) have, struck against his unborn millions/ What of the humim race ivnv, Banders ?" . says he. ".This strike goes to the root, of the matter. Ha! ha! ha! Poor Sir Gi'ortre Grey; his occupation is gone," an' \vi' that ho roars agiii an' ha'ds his sides. Kirsty, i' Lhe acf o' tyii,' her nichtcap, opened the :loor agoi) an' says, l< Its nae lauchin' maker, Ma-is ter Seddou ;.. we'll dae't as sure as ye're a Meenister." Ma freen' look'd at her, an 1 said . he had already jhaugrd his mind, or (seeing his mistake) said he had always been in favour of .jiving wonidn a vote, an' had always seen thin, the country could never be put to r'ghts nor would thus s/'ats of Ministers be aafe. till they had the. votes of the women, tie would wire to his colleagues to have a bill prepaiv.d. Hesaid Kirsty had only to hint at the women's strike, and lie could name some of their opponents in the Honse who would not stand out a week— not a day. "We ken that fine," says Kirsty ; " we ken .far oor . pooer lies," an' wi 1 that she steeket the door, an' leEt us t.nn o:irsels. Ma 'freen an' T sat for an oor or twa crackin' ower the wechtier matters o' the States. Fie thocht there was a quid deal i' the qnisteu o' the vote tae women. The Opposition, he said, were committet tae't, an' cu'dna gang agin it; but his Government michl step in, talc the wind oot ot her sails, an' get a' the credit for the wark. Then they wad be sure o' the women's vote i' the event o' a dissolution. This wis gey cunnin' o' 'in. " But," sej'S I, " ye're nae thinkiu' o' a defeat, are ye ?" He didna like tae say the thing wis possible, but still ha seemed tae hae his doofcs. He said Ballcuice hadna the nae o' l^adin' an' kuepin' his men thegether, an' he (my freen) an' M'Kenzie had haeu mony serious- cracks aboot it. Th' i y were baith o' opinion that ano o' them wad hae tae tak the offiso'. Premier, ;m' had agreed tae toss fort. But then j they had baen a little indiscreet, an' the ! public an' the Tory press in mony ; daestrics were vnakiu' fules o' thi-m. J He didna ken fat wad bo th-.i upshot o't I y*t. I telt I'.n they cud easily keep llioir am wi' the-olectnrs ; they had the windfa' , o' L 300.000 tae spread ower the contra ; : they sh'd spread it weel— gi'e a' a share, • an' it wis human nater this wad keep them richt. He took a note o' this, i an' I expect he'll act on ma advice, j tie telt me tae, he wis some fonr't ! the Upper Hoose wad throw oof their i Iteform Bill, as c'en an Id men didua- : liku tae hae their wagap.-i Hx^d by act o' ' parliament. 1 says tae 'm "ye ca-n proteck yersals by gottin' the Governor tae pet in new coonsellors tao vote, for the bill." H*j said he had thoclit o'-tlu's, an' had got Mrs Ouslow tae promise tae use her influence wi' her husband aboot ifc an' she telt him that her guiduian aye consalted her an' took her ad vies i' sich maiters. He thocht it micht be neoess-ir tae hae new ooonsellors. an' he aloo'd that tae speak aboot this wis his main errant tae see me. He said this dae.-itrict sh'd hae a representative i' the coonsel an' he nnly koiit o' ane fit f<.r 't an' that wis mysel'. an' he spiert whether, if they faud it necessar tae appoint new anes wad I gang tae Wellington as a coonsolor an' help them thro' wi' thoir wark? I tol't 'm I wad dao onything i' reason tae yi' 'in a lift oor, o' a difficulty, but I c'uld na' yie 'm an anser ; I wad hae tae consult Kirstie an' I wad na' like tae wawken lier at that 'oor o' nicht. I wis sure she wad be ag.u 't as she had heerd o' the ongaens o' some o' the member 5, an' some o' the insenisters tae, in Wellington, an' wad na' lik^ me tae be amang sic an ungodly lot. .Kirsty '3 nae jealous, but she's only a 'oman an 1 nae 'onian sh'd be ower sair tried or she may kick ower the luggie. Ma freen' said he wad vouch for Kirsf.y, as h^ wad get her namn on the roll an' she cud gang wi' me tae Wellington. Hoosoindvive) 1 ,-! says, I wadna' mak ony promises ; I. wad only follow his example i' sich maiters an' think ower 't, and gie 'm my deceesion when the time cam. Sanders. Happy Howe, 17th June. 1891.