WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 17155, 23 September 1919, Page 8

WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN BRITAIN

ENFRANCHISING- ANOTHER 5,000,000. The Government, resisting votes bo women under 30, were defeated early in July. It was a private member's Bill, backed by LaborTo open -all civil and judicial appointments to women: To remove the 30 years' barrier in women's suffrage; and To give peeresses in their own rights a seat in tho Lords. The Government opposed any extension of the frdiich.eo at tho moment, and as for the rest offered to introduce, a Bill of their own. They called on their support-era to reject it. '" The House was very oritical," says tho ' Mail.' '" At 4 o'clock a division was called. A jubilant cheer rose from the Labor benches as the two Labor tollers were seen on the rii-'ht (nr winning side) when advancing to tho table with the division figures, and loud erica of 'Rosigul Resign!' rang through the House. The figures were: For Women's Bill, 100; against, 85. Tho Bill, if passed, will add 5,000,000 now voters to the register* in addition to the 8,000,000 reoently enfranchised. Major Aslor said, in defence of the Government, that according to precedent it would be necessary to have a General Election after a large increase of the electorate; but he did not think the country desired to have another election now or in tho near future. It might possibly be that one -party would desire to have another election; hut he belie ed the country -as a whole wanted the Government to get ahead with the work of reconstruction by legislation and administration."

A CHECK TO THE GOVERNMENT. " The -analysis of the division in the Commons showed that the defeat was brought about by -a very real revolt of the Coalitionists. Forty-five of these divided against the Government, of whom 29 were Unionists," says the ' Westminster Gazette.' "The effect of the division will be very salutary if it brings the Government to the conviction that evau the present House of Commons cannot be treated as a body that docs not count. The House has been handled as a plaything. For the first time it has definitely resented that attitude on tha part of the Government." "The Bill is now at the mercy of the Lords," says the 'Daily News.' "If the country takes this incident to be indicative of the Government's capacity, there will be many to agree with Lord Kobort Cecil that a General Election cannot be very far off." "Even if the proposals were wise and politic," says the 'Daily Chronicle,' "their importance transoends the scope of u, private Bill promoted by a party which, in Parliament at least, is of modest numbers,"