The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-04-13 00:00:00

Xeciti anb istrict gets.

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE.

On Tuesday evening Miss Beedy, M.A., deli-
vered a lecture under the auspices of the Central
National Women's Suffrage Society, in the Corn
Exchange. The Rev. H. Sherrard occupied the
chair, and there was a very large attendance.
Amongst those on the platform were Mr. F.
Evers, Mr. G. K. Harrison, Mr. W. Smith, the
Rev. D. Maginnis, Miss Beedy, Miss Lucas,
Miss Sturge, Mrs. Ashford, and other ladies.
The Chairman, on rising, said when was
asked to take the chair on that occasion he had
seine hesitation, for he thought it would have
been more fitting as it was a political question
that laymen should take the the chair, as it was
sometimes expected that clergymen should not
take a part in these matters, but on secondary
consideration he thought he should take the
chair, as it was not a party question at all ; but
it seemed to him to he a question of social pro-
gress, for the benefit and welfare of the whole
community. If he simply acted as Chairman,
and confined himself to the regular scope of ac-
tion, he should merely introduce to them those
ladies and gentlemen who were going to speak
to them that evening ; but he felt he ought to
make a few observations on the question itself.
According to our present law there were certain
property qualifications required to enable per-
sons to vote for members of Parliament, and if
he understood the present agitation rightly it
was simply to obtain for women who had those
qualifications the right to the electoral franchise;
and that they should not be excluded from the
franchise simply because they were women. If
they went down the principal street of this town
and took nine or ten houses in rotation they
would find that nine of the ten occupiers paid
their rents and taxes and were entitled to vote,
limit when they came to the tenth house it would
probably be occupied by a female who paid the
same amount of taxes and rent as her neigh-
bours, and yet she was excluded from voting
because of her sex. lie thought this was not
only unjust to the women, but it imputed a stig-
ma upon the female character by classing them
with lunatics and others who had no right to
vote. The spirit of the times was against this
state of things. He thought it was not so much
a question of our conceding women the franchise
as that of what right had we to debar thou from
it. When they looked around them and saw
e hat education was doing for females at the pre-
sent day, they would see that they were finding
their way into our colleges and other seats of
learning. Some of the best periodical literature
of Bic day was written by females. When they
took these things into consideration, it was evi-
dent that it was not from any want of intelli-
gence that they were debarred from it. It was
said that it was taking women out of their proper
sphere to allow them to meddle with politics.
Some people thought that females should be con-
fined to domestic duties, such as making pud-
dings, mending stockings, &c. He would not
say anything in disparagement of those excel-
lent occupations, but they were not the only
ones women were capable of performing. Some
thought women ought not to have any public
duties to perform, but he wished to know if they
meant to shut women out of the political world
altogether. They had a woman at the head of
the country. He had heard that her Majesty
not only signed the documents brought for her
signature, but read them thoroughly over, and
made herself acquainted with their contents be-
fore she put her signature to them. It may be
said that females did not desire to vote for mem-
bers of Parliament, but they had on the plat-
form on that occasion something in answer to
that question. The ladies present were the re-
presentatives of a large number who wished to
procure the franchise. Our Governneut was a
representative one, and why should not female
interests be represented in the senate. Females
bad a right of municipal franchise, ,for giving
votes for town councils and commissioners; and
they had a right to sit on school boards, and
some of them were ornaments to the boards on
which they sat. They had these rights, and yet
were excluded from voting for a member of Par-
liament, and what was there in a member of
Parliament that a woman should not be able to
vote for him ? He would ask the Conservatives
to support the movement on the ground that
women were generaliy considered more conser-
vative in their principles than men; and for the
encouragement of the Liberals he would say
that that remark of the poet's, with reference to
women's private character,-
0. Woman, in our hours of ease,
Uncertain, coy. and hard to please.

7,1ig1.t be found to apply equally to their politi-
e.ti character, and therefore they would not
always be found where they might he expected
to be. He need not ask those present to give a
respectful hearing to the ladies who had coma
there to lecture and speak to them on the sub-
j,Et, becanso he was sure a Stourbridge audience
v.ould not give other than a respectful attention
to them, lie then introduced
Miss Beedy, the lecturer, who was listened to
with marked attention, and those portions of her
lecture which especially touched upon the posi-
tion of women in the poorer classes, were loudly
applauded. After dwelling at some length upon
the good effects which might he expected to re-
sult from an improved system of education, a
higher rate of wages, and a better social posi-
tion for women. :Miss Beedy proceeded to show
that these could only be hoped for through the
means of Parliamentary representation.
Miss Stnrge moved a resolution adopting a
petition to Parliament in favour of the move-
ment—" That the following petition be adopted
and signed by the Chairman on behalf of the
meeting, and forwarded to the Hon. C. G. Lyt-
telton, M.P., for presentation to the House of
Commons, and to Lord Lyttelton for presenta-
tion to the House of Lords." She believed
there were 16 objections to women's suffrage.
She was afraid she had forgotten them, for as
she came from Birmingham by train that morn-
ing she tried to recollect what they were and
could only recollect four or five. One was that
women had plenty to do at home, and ought not
to meddle with politics; but as regarded that
question would not take women away from
their ironies jut to give their vote for a member
Parliament. After some other remarks on
the subject, Miss Sturge earnestly entreated
those present to support the resolution.
Mr. W. Smith said he had great pleasure in
seconding the resolution.
The Chairman said before putting the resolu-
tion to the meeting he would call upon a sister
of one of tho ablest men of the present day to
support the resolution ; that was a sister of Mrs.
Lucas, who was a sister of Mr. John Bright.
Mrs. Lucas said she had great pleasure in sup-
porting the resolution. She had just returned
from is tour extending throughout the United
States. She had listened with much pleasure
to Mks Beedy's address. Perhaps some of those
present knew that Miss Beedy was an American.
The franchise for womeu in America was far in
advance of England. The same education was
given in America to girls as to boys, and nothing
struck her so much in her travels, and she went
Lora New York to San Francisco, as the educa-
tional establishments. She honed that women's
suffrage would become one of the most import-
ant questions of the day, and that those present
would give it their support. Tberesolution was
then put the meeting, and carried unanimously.
The Rev, D. Maginnis said he was very glad
that the resolution had been carried unani-
mously, as it ought to have been. The Chair-
man, in his opening remarks, said it was a ques-
tion of social justice, and not one of party
politics. When the measure was before Parlia-
ment last year, the voting showed that it was
not a party question, Our so-called Liberal,
Mr. Lyttelton, voted against it, and our so-called
Conservative, Mr. Amphlett, voted for it. Mr.
Disraeli spoke and voted for it, and Mr. Glad-
stone spoke for it and did not vote. It was
therefore not a political question, and he was
glad that they had carried it on its merits that
night. He had not risen for the purpose of
making a speech, but for the purpose of reading
a letter which had been received from Mrs.
MeLaren, wife of the member for Edinburgh,
and sister of Mr. John Bright, expressing her
regret that she was unable to attend. He had
also a second duty to perform, and it was indeed
a most pleasing one. It was to propose that the
meeting most cordially and gratefully thank the
Lutes for so kindly coining and favouring them
with their views on that important subject. He
Iconcluded by exressieg a desire to see the same
mode of education adopted in Stourbridge as
was adopted in America.