ADULT SUFFRAGE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 111, 12 May 1909, Page 11

ADULT SUFFRAGE.

BRITISH ELECTORAL REFORM NECESSARY. HOUSE OF COMMONS DEBATE. (From Our Own Corresponded.) LONDON, 26th March. In the House of Commons on Friday, Mr. G. Howard (Liberal M.P. for Eskdale) moved the second reading of the Representation of the People Bill, the object of which is to esta-blish adult suffrage for both men and women, on a three months' residential qualification immediately preceding 15th July in any year, and to abolish phiral voting. The Bill further provides that no woman shall be disqualified from voting by reason of marriage. Legislation on this question was, said Mr. Howard, long overdue. One of the greatest difficulties in the way of franchise reform was that it was very nearly impossible to deal with it without at the same time undertaking another great reform — viz., women's suffrage. A mere Bill to remove the sex disqualification, while removing a great evil, would accentuate other groat evils, and aggravate the difficulty which faced Liberals of plural voting. Surely, then, it was better to face the situation as a whole. There was a persistent demand on the part of a very large section of the women of fchis country for the vote, and the fact that there was also a large number against it wa& no reason why those who did want the vote should not have it. He had raised this question not with any hope of passing the Bill into law. (Opposition laughter.) He thought they should frankly face the political situation. The House of Commons was pledged to this great reform, and if they were to hope for a solution during the present Parliament, it could only be on the lines of an amendment to a Government Reform Bill. FEMALE SUFFRAGE IN THE •COLONIES. Sir C. M'Laren (Liberal M.P. for Bosworth) seconded the motion for the second reading, and made reference to the success or female suffrage in some of the British colonies. Everyone, he said, knew there were women who did not want the vote, but it was worthy of remark that, after all the efforts of the anti-suffragettes, they could only get £540,000 signatures to their petition against the Bill. The fact that intelligent and attractive women, because the Suffragettes had many admirable qualities besides that of fanaticism — (laughter) — had consistently and ruthlessly opposed every Government condidate, had had, he thought, a, very ,;reat effect on public opinion. He believed that if they were given the vote, married women would vote with their husbands on most questions — ("Oh, oh!") — and if a husband found his wife in opposition to him in politics nothing would be easier than for him to pair with her. (Laughter.) Personally, he wouifl like to raise the age limit for voting from 21 to 25 years. (Hear, hear.) There were about a million and a half female domestic servants in this country, and personally he would like to exclude the franchise from all persons living in a position of dependence in a house. EFFECT OF THE BILL. Mr. H. W. Forster (Conservative M.P. for Sevenoaks) said if the Bill passed, the first effect of it would be to add about fifteen million electors to the franchise. The Bill would further transfer the whole balance of political power from one sex to the other. There was no machinery provided for the abolition of plural voting proposed by the Bill, and if the Bill passed they would be bound, owing to the immense increase in the number of voters, to have a Redistribution Bill also. He moved the rejection of the measure. Mr. Montagu (Liberal M.P. for Chesterton) spoke in support of the Bill, and said he desired to divorce himself entirely from the suggestion of the seconder, that domestic servants should be excluded from the franchise. LABOUE CRITICISM. Mr. Snowden (Blackburn) said -that e^ery woman's suffrage society in the country repudiated tins measure. If women's suffrage was to wait until every adult male had the vote, it woiild be postponed for a very long time. There was no strong demand by men who were outside the present franchise for its extension, and :herefore the bill gave the vote to those who did not want it, while it put insuperable obstacles in the way of women obtaining what they desired. They believed that, once the sex barrier was removed, other reforms in the franchise would follow. Personally, as he had always supported any extension of the franchise, he could not go into the lobby against the bill. Mr. Rees (Montgomery Boroughs) said he would refuse the franchise to women, because he considered they had high-.»r and greater duties to perform. In" the suffragist movement lay the germs of the great degradation of women. FRANCHISE REFORM. Mr. Asquith said it was well Known that upon the subject of female suffrage the present Government were not iiltogether of one opinion, and througnoat this Parliament it had never been made a Government question. The situation in that respect was unchanged, and entirely unaffected by the introduction of this measure. The Bill, however, raised other and wilder issues. It proposed to extend the franchise to adults of either sex, subject to the condition of threi months' residence. He and his colleagues, whatever might be their opinion on women's suffrage, were strongly in favour ot relorm upon a wide "scale of the existing franchise— (Ministerial cheers)— the abolition of plural voting— (cheers) — the removal of the artificial and illogical ■ distinction between occupiers and lodgers — (cheers) — a material shortening of the period of qualification, and a simplifica- | tion of the machinery of registration, j Apart from the question of sex, he j wished to see a large reform on the lines J he had mentioned. But any measure of the kind ought, in his opinion, if it "was to take its place on the Statute Book, to proceed from the responsible Govern ment of the day, and be carefully mod- j elled after deliberate Parliamentary dis- , cuEsion. He understood the promoters of this Bill were willing that it should be committed to a committee of the whole •House, which he thought was a w'tc course. For the reasons he had given, he and his colleagues could not vote for the second reading of the bill. The second reading of the bill was carried by 157 to 122, piajority 35. The bill was committed to a committee of the whole House.

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