The examiner., 1882-02-18
The Recent Woman Suffrage COnven
 tion at Washington.

 number of letters received from all parts of the United States, Canada and England, written by influential men and women, expressing their deep interest in the cause and reporting progress in the r. zion about them One of these, from Mrs. Caroline Ashurt Riggs of Englaud, addressed to Miss Susan Anthony, gives much informa tion as to the cause in that country, and am sure will interest our readers.
 19 NOTHING HILL SQUARE LONDON.
 January lst, 1882.
 MY DEAR Mss ANTI ,NY It was with very great pleasure thatI received your letter a few days ago telling me, as you always are able to tell, of uuhagging and energetic work on your side of the sea, and 1t is a great pleasure to me to write few words to tell you how the good fight is being fought here, anl how we feel on beginning this new year that we are nearly approaching the hour of victory. Every thing is changing round about us. Snch of the press as is not cordial Is respectful. In all the towns which are the centres of thought Women's Suffrage is looked upon as sure to come, the only question is how soon2 We are straining every nerve to get it accepted as part of the new Reform Bill which our present government pledg- ed itself so deeply at the elections to pass. You know that there is great difference between the franchise for towns and coun- ties. In the towns, every householder (man) who has lived 8 year in the same place. votes. In the counties, he must be freeholder or have voting qualification of 912 year. Also the representation is being unfairly distributed numerically. Some little towns with only 300 voters having a member, two other towns with 30 GOO or 10000 voters only having two. During the elections of 1880 the ma aiority of the present Parliament pledged them selves to bring in measure of Reform to remedy these two pieces of ipj justice. We will do all in our power to make them remedy the third greatest injustice of the exclusion of women from the franchise at the same time.
 Meanwhile the past year has been full of great encouragement 10 all our workers. First in point of time, if not of actual importance, was the election in the Isle of Man. The island is only 80 miles long and contains only 700 women electors ; neither is the law perfectly just there, because only women owners of property may vote, while mon owners, occupiers and lodgers may vote. But so far as it goes 1t is the true Parliamentary vote. A very large proportion of women went tn the poll-in one polling station where 72 women were qualified, 70 voted. Every where there was courtesy and good will shown to them by the men, who all seemed glad to receive women among themselves as voters.
 Next, we have to congratulate all the women in Scotland on the passing of the Municipal Franchise Act. To-day this act sessed and exercised this franchise for twelve years, and they feel the full impor- tance of 1t. I may give you one instance The little town of Lewes, in Sussex, was incorporated for the first time last autumn. There are PIP women householders in it.
 
 this happens to be the first time the women have ever had occasion to go to the polls, and yet out Cf 212, between 160 and ITO voted. The English Municipal Act of 1879 did not extend to Scotlaud-so early last session Dr. Cameron, M. P. for Glasgow brought forward 8 Bill to assimilate the position of Scotchwomen to that of English women in this matter. There was none but passive opposition in the House of Commons where 1t passed before Easter. The Earl of Campo erdown brought it for ward in the House Lords where it passe q on May 18th and it received the Royal assent on January 3rd. A deputation of ladies waited on the Lord Advocate fol Scotland on December 18th to press upon him the question of the suffrage. He promised to consider it, and cordially con- graduated the women rate-payers of Scotland on having secured the concession of the municipal franchise.
 Side by side with this great political advance, we have other gains to record, all growing out of the Woman's Suffrage movement. The same agitation helps them forward, the same M. P. vote for them with very few exceptions. Our most marked victory in this respect refers again to Scotland. Here again, Scotch wives were very much worse of than English wives since 1870. MT. Anderson last ses. sion carried a measure by which Scotch married women even keep their earnings and have sole right to their moveable and personal estate, so that the common law now gives them all the rights which they could only have enjoyed formerly if pro- tected by carefully drawn contract of marriage. In education too, the Cambridee University has distinguished itself by giving women students the same right to examination as men students, This was done in no grudging way, but by an over- whelming vote of 398 against 32
 You see we have ou every side great causa f IF thankfnlness and for encouraoe.