THE SUFFRAGETTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1361, 12 February 1912, Page 8

THE SUFFRAGETTES.

BRITISH CABINET'S POSITION. STRANGE STATE OF AFFAIRS. "Millions of women"—that at present is the nearest Ministerial estimate of the number—are to be enrolled as Parliamentary electors in Great Britain if a majority bo Obtained in tho House of Commons for (heir enfranchisement when tho project comes up for consideration during the debato on the Electoral Reform •Hill, ft is quite in accordance with the extraordinary fashion set by the leaders of the present' Goveninie.it in dealing 'with legislative proposals of first-class import inco (says the London correspondent of the "Age"); that although yards of newspaper space are already filled with letters and verbatim reports of speeches by Sir Edward' Grey, Lord Haldane, and Mr. Llo.yd-Gcorgo in support of what their official chief would regaii as "a political mistake of a very disastrous! kind," none of them has taken the trouble to arrive at any definite conclusion as to how jar the contemplated change should go. All thoy seem to know is that they are in favour of itwhatever it may be. The position is a most curious one in several respects. Many Englishmen'who arc not yet sufficiently modern in their democratic ideas to be ab'e to forget the principle of - collective Cabinet responsibility hardly know what view to take of it. Others aro letting themselves go in outbursts of indignation and contemptuous amusement—indignation when they remember that the question of a wholesale enfranchisement of women has never been submitted to. nor seriously considered by the country at any general election, and that any proposal put inlo the Electoral Bill may become law during tho life of the present Parliament; contemptuous amusement at tho undignified role acooptcd by the Prime Minister, who on one day publicly denounces what his principal colleagues in the Cabinet .support on tho next, yet who. if these colleagues should defeat him in tho House of Commons, will bo prepared to adopt as part of a Government measure "a political mistake of a very disastrous kind," and do everything in his power to place it on the 'Statiito Book. What chiefly incenses his critics'is that he is confessod'ly willing to do this during the suspension of a part of the constitution, which leaves the country . without any certain method of securing a clear popular judgment on the proposal. ~ At the last two general elections the normal attitude of public meetings towards woman suffrage was one of marked indifference, and of impatience in many cases. It was evidently not regarded as a question of practical politics. Nor is there yet evidence that anything liko a majority of the women desire tho vote. The tentative suffrage, measure known as the Conciliation Bill" was discussed to some extent, but in the absence of a lead from the Government it. was- lightly treated. Moreover, this Bill proposed tho enfranchisement of only about 1,000,000 women, whereas under one of the schemes to bo submitted to, the House of. Commons in. the course of,, (ho. next few months provision is. to be made for adding about .10,000,000 women to the register. How important .'the matter has l)o----come from tho point of view of those who criticise Mr. Asnuith's "levity" and the attempt of his colleagues to rush the position may 1m judged from the following official estimate for the next, five year of "tho number of males and females of 25 years and over, excluding aliens, paupers and other persons, who are disqualified for enrolment as Parliamentary voters," and whose position will be considered in connection with, electoral reform: Males,2s Femnles,2s years and years and upwards, upwards. Total. 1912 ... 10,107,000 11,319,000 21,126,000 1913 . ... 10,198,000 11,420,000 21,018,000 1914 .... 10,192,000- 11,520,000 21,814,000 1915 ... 10,380,000 11,025,000 22,011,(100 1916 ... 10,480,000 11,720,000 22,209,000 The representatives of the National Society for Opposing Women Suffrage who interviewed Mr.. Asquitb, and who were invited by him to take off their coats" in nioro strenuous resistance to tho schemo favoured by his Cabinet colleagues, contended that the nominal, strength secured by the suffragists. in the Houso of Commons was out of all proportion to. tho strength of the movement in tho constituencies. "It is notorious," Mrs. Humphry Ward stated, "that when n. suffrage debate is coming on in Parliament a fow active suffrage women in the constituency are often quite enough to secure tho adhesion of a member who docs not wish to offend them, while his own opinion is still either hostile or wavering, and tho oplniou of the vast majority of his constituency has gone wholly unconsulted. Out of 1115 candidates in the election of January, 1910, only 211 declared themselves in thoir election addresses favourable to woman suffrage, and of these only 85 were elected. As to the election of December, I have not been able to ascertain tho facts precisely, but it seems to be agreed that a smaller number of candidates mentioned it in their election addresses than was the case in January, in spite of your promise, given before the election, of facilities for the Conciliation Bill. Two candidates came before tho electors as suffrage candidates proper, one in Glasgow and one in London, with tho absurd result that they polled 57 votes between them. Up to tho present time about an eighth of the whole number of electors have been canvassed by our league, with a fairness and thoroughness which havo at last forced recognition. Of the 135,357 persons whoso views have been ascertained, 57,000 have not thought it worth while to reply to the questions asked, 9000 were neutral, 47,000 were'against the suffrage, and only 21,000 out of the whole 135,000, after all the attention which has been bestowed on these voters by the suffrage societies, declared for tho vote."

On tho constitutional question a few months ago the Cabinet was virtually led by Mr. Redmond. On tho woman suffrage question it is being led by Mr. LloydGeorge. Mr. Asquit.h appears to have only ono fixed and constant preference—a preference for staying where ho is at any cost. An assertion of his authority as head of tho Government would mean that either he or his principal colleagues would have to resign." Both he and they are equally anxious that there shall be no resignations.