Manawatu Daily Times Votes for Women in Britain

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6613, 18 May 1928, Page 6

Manawatu Daily Times Votes for Women in Britain

Closing the debate on the second reading of the Equal Franchise Bill in the House of Commons, Mr. Baldwin remarked that the Bill was accepted with enthusiasm in some quarters, with tolerance in others, possibly with indifference here and there, but with very little real and substantial opposition. The reason was that the minds and hearts of the people were fitted for the complete enfranchisement of women by the experience of the war. To those who saw the part which women played in’the war there

seemed something almost ridiculous in refusing their claim to equal citizenship.

Mr. Baldwin added that he was not alarmed at the numerical preponderance of women. He thought it was a complete fallacy to suppose that they would vote by class or sex. 1 hoy would he divided exactly as men were. There had been a unity among women which had been evoked by the struggle to obtain elementary rights, but when they had obtained those rights that unity would be gone and they would judge of political affairs according to their temperament and experience in exactly the same way as men did.

With the complete enfranchisement of women he thought there would come a rational companionship in working together between men and women for the betterment of their own country. Once this Bill was law the last fraction of truth about inequality would have gone for ever. Women would have with men the

fullest rights. But they would lit to attain freedom, the right use ideals would he harder still. T often the beginning of disillusio horizons as they came, and mak

nd that hard as was the struggle of that freedom to attain their 'lie attainment of an ideal was m, and they must look at fresh .c for fresh ideals.