WOMEN LEGISLATORS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 3, 5 January 1926, Page 7

WOMEN LEGISLATORS

A MEMBER'S BITTERNESS

MISS STANLEY'S REPLY

HER PARLIAMENTARY EXPERIENCE.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, 30th December.

A wild outburst against women legislators by Mr. Theo Hill, a Country ! Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, charac» terised the debate on a measure introduced in the Assembly to provide for woman membership of the Legislative Council. Whatever respect Mr. Hill might have for women in their ordinary domestic roles, he has non» for them in a legislative capacity. His speech on the second reading of tho Bill was a bitter tirade against women in Parliament, to whom ha referred as "wild women," "crowing hens," and similar terms. His remarks were the more pointed because the Assembly possesses the only women member of an Australian Legislature, Miss M. Preston Stanley. Miss Stanley has not been a regular attendant at divisions, but whenever she has spoken, she has been listened to with respect, and the unbiased must admit that her advice on measures affecting women and children has often been heeded.. Bhe was absent during. Mr, Hill's outburst, and, consequently, had- no opportunity of Toplying to her antagonist, with whom, by the way, she has had several pra» vious battles of words. Miss Stanley thereupon resorted to the pen to answer her damaging critic, sending a long letter to the Sydney "Morning Herald." "Those who know Mr. Hill," she wrote by way of introduction, ''would treat his wild outburst with the contempt it deserves, but unfortunately the general public are not acquainted with his pc» culiarities and prejudices, so it is ne« cessary to reply to his attack." "Mr. Hill," she went on to say, "is an extremist, a violent extremist; an extreme Tory; an extreme anti-feminist; and .is exeremely enthusiastic about his own illusions. Extremists are notoriously false guides in social and political matters. Mr. Hill asserts that women are not fit to sit in Parliament because of their United brain power, and because they are women. His vanity is so great that he even presumes to speak for the Almighty in this regard. I have only to ask your readers to compare any of their iutelligent, capable women friends with Mr. Hill and some of his colleagues to secure a complete and convincing ra. buttal of that assertion, for they cannot but agree that his intolerance, his inaccuracy, and his vulgar abuse of those with whom he disagrees hai never been equalled by any; responsible public woman." FURTHER COUNTERBLASTS. This was another of Miss Stanley's counterblasts: "In spite of this political Mrs. Partington who would keep back the ocean of progress with a frown, women continue not only to enter the public life of the nations of the world, but to discharge great responsibilities with great ability." And here is another bitiug paragraph: "This political anochronism has the presumption to speak for women, and he asserts that no decent woman would want to get into Parliament; and that if a plebiscite vote were taken, the women of Australia would declare themselves-against the franchise. I venture to say that this old gentleman stands alone in his assertion that women who have given life service to the community are indecent. I challenge this gentleman to compare his services with the services so magnificently rendered to the community by many thousands of women whose boots he is not fit to blacken." Miss Stanley refers to her absence from divisions, and says that under the present system of guillotine and gag in the State Assembly, the votes of the Opposition have little effect on the actions of the Government, and that she has found she can do better "public service outside the House on occasions than by becoming a mere mechanical vote register." Miss Stanley challenges anyone to prove that she has spent one business day of the Assembly since the last State election on any personal interest!. "I have been snowed under," the adds, '' by t\e demand* made upon my time by electors from all over the State, and my work outside, the' Home has been heavier, and, I believe, more resultful than the easy work of a mechanical recorder of votes in divisions. I venture to say that my electors will agree with-^me that I can perform better service to the community by attending to public iequirements outside Parliament than by becoming proficient in the billiardroom of Parliament House."