HOME WOMEN GAIN THEIR FREEDOM.

White Ribbon, Volume 24, Issue 284, 18 February 1919, Page 1

HOME WOMEN GAIN THEIR FREEDOM.

|B> Mrs kineton Parkes.)

It is months ago situe newspaper women who read the “Whit* Ribbon' have rejoiced to know that the women ot the British Isles have gained at last the i>o)iti<al emancipation lor which the\ have laboured s<» long and so strenuously. Thousands have lived and wot Led for this great reform; some have sacrificed even their I ves, and now the struggle i> ov r.

I find there is universal satisfat tion I amongst both nu t) and women who think in New Zealand, because they I have always felt a sense of indignation and dissatisfaction with the continu''d denial on the part of Nome I polit rians to recognise and extend to women the r ghts of citizenship. I find also, which i can easily understand, that there is verv little knowledge out here as to how it (ame about in the end that the old prejudices were overcome, and how the women achieved, with such apparent ease and swiftnes , the response to a demand which had been made steadily for over s xty years. There is an inclination to assume that it was on account of the fine war work we accomplished so wvdl and so swiftly; but this we are very anxious to contradict. We claimed the vote as a right, and not as a reward for service, and we threw ourselves heart and soul into every d‘p.»rtmcnt of war work because we knew we were wanted. We trust that it may serve as an obje< t lesson to prove the truth of what we always claimed, that ‘‘we needed the vote in order to serve ” We trust also that the work which w»* are so anxious to do for women ard children in the great problems of reconstruc

ton which are facing us max justifv

ev* n more out persistent demand. The reason xxh> “Votes for Women” became an accomplished fat t earlx last ve.ti was purely a politit.d one, and largely the result of out own work, ind the knowledge xvv acquired m doing it. We had gradually worked with combined effort to a point where Mr \sc|uith, owing to tire pit ssurc brought to bear, had made a definite pronoiim r-mept, viz., “Tie re shall be no further extension of the franchise unless t in duties women.”

This doubtless .qoeared to the tlvn Prime Minister to be a perfet tly safe thing to say, because thert was no clam >ur for manhood suffrage. Put how wonderful.\ everything changed within a year! Who could have foreseen the war, with its subsequent just demand for the enfranchisement of the soldier and the sailor?

Anil so it tame about, because we could not gti to the country on a 11>i; register, and because we could not compile a new one without solders anti sailors being on it, and because of the existing p edge to women they must be in it also. The Representation of the People’s Hill was frame ! and women were included.

This Bill was passed into law, and so sw ft has been the current once it turned in our favour that to the surprise of the public and of other nations, we have almost immediately become not only voters, but eligible for Parliament. Most |>eo»)!e have been greatly astonished at th** huge majority for this latter Bill in the House of C ommons, but we women were not so surprised, for the members were naturally anx 011 s to capture votes in the new electorate.

We trust that because our power and influence were so speedilv demonstrat

ed we may realise to the full our gi at privilege anti sacred res|*>nsibilitx to humanity during the coming years, and endeavour to be worthy so gieat .i trust and opportunity.