Woman Suffrage.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 516, 9 October 1890, Page 2

Woman Suffrage.

[to the editor.] Sir,—Mr Arthur told the electors at Tuofday’s meeting that he voted against the Bill brought on by Sir John Hall at the last session of Parliament, to confer the electoral franchise on women ; and he also said, in answer to my question, that he would (if elected, I presume) agnia vnte against granting them the franchise, on the grounds that they did not desire it, and he did not believe in it, and although Parliament was bad at present, it would ba wor.-*e if women were elected to or word* to that effect. I would respectfully submit that the-o are very pnnr reasons for refusing to allow merely comnimJustice to a full hiif of tha adult members of the community. It has yet to be shown tint women do not desire to have a voice in political matters—theagitaiim down Sou’h indicates otherwise. It is quite possible they would not care to become members of a Parliament whe?*e such larrikinism as that deploied by Mr Arthur was carried on, unless it was though*, their presence would raise the tone of the House. It certainly appears to require it according to Mr Arthur’s own showing. It is reasonab'e to suppose at any rate that most women would like to have the right if they chose to exercise it, of voting for those who would represent their interests in Parliament, where laws are enacted for the control of women as w»4l as men. It is hard to see how Mr A' thnr can undertake to represent a community in Parliament when he autocratically states that he would not allow quite half of the adult population to have a voice in his election. Mr Arthur’s view on this matter is behind the age, which is not surprising. It is a pure’y conservative idea. Not a liberal one. The idea of the inferiority of women is shown to be erroneous by their marked success in many walks of life which were until recently monopolized by men, and further, how can we expect a satisfactory improvement in legislation when only a part of the community is represented in an assembly where laws are made for the whole ?—I am, &c., J. SIGLET,