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Women's Suffrage.
TO THE EDITOR.
Sir— At a meeting of the executive of the
W.S. League held on Tuesday, May 30, it was
resolved that a deputation should wait on the
Prime Minister to ask that the Government
should make women's suffrage a Government
measure this session. It was also agreed that
Mr. Robert Caldwell, M.P., as the private
member who had charge of the Women's
Suffrage Bill last sesson, should be re-
quested to make arrangements with the
Premier and introduce the deputation.
To this Mr. Caldwell returned a prompt and
gracious assent, and arranged accordingly.
Being out of town he had no opportunity to
confer with the W.S. Council till the moment
they met at the door of the deputation-room.
It will thus be seen that there could be no
anticipation on the part of the league that Mr.
Caldwell intended to attempt to galvanise the
corpse of his Bill of last session, and thus some
speakers who came too late to hear Mr. Cald-
well's introductory speech appeared to be
speaking in favor of the vote for propertied
women, and were blamed accordingly. I have
to add that the friends of women's suffrage
have cause to thank Mr. Caldwell for the
courage and constancy with which he fought
what may well be regarded as a triumphant
passage through both Houses for his Bill
of last session. The contest stirred
the apathetic to a recognition of their duties
as freed men, and showed the friends of liberty
that they must rouse themselves and confront
the danger which so imminently menaced their
liberties. To the awakened attention and
education on the subject of women's suffrage
thus secured to the intelligent of both sexes is
largely due their ardent interest in the recent
elections, and the fuller attendance at the
ballet box, together with the somewhat
startling results of those elections. The cause
of women's suffrage or (as the Trades and
Labor Council more happily terms it) "adult
suffrage," has advanced with giant strides
since last session of Parliament. Prin-
ciples may germinate slowly, but they
mature quickly when once they reach
the light. The justice of our claim is acknow-
ledged by all thinkers to be unassailable. The
intelligence of the country has rallied to its
support. I believe with its fearless and girted
advocate, Miss Spence, that "it must come,"
and with her I am "content to wait till it is
granted in its entirety." The British Consti-
tution Act declares that "taxation without
representation is robbery." Who are the rob-
bers? - I am, &c.,
MARY LEE,
Hon. Sec. S.A. W.S. League.
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