The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-01-16
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

About a month since, we insert
ed an article giving an account of
the Inauguration of woman suf-
frage in New Zealand. A Queens
land paper, the Mackay Standard,
has the following comments on the
same subject:
By the success of her recent expert
ment, New Zealand now occupies the
unique position of being the first COM
munity in the dominions of the Brit
ish empire to elect q Parliament I'M
der woman suffrage, and the result
will be watched with interest by
every English speaking community
the world over. Since the idea of adj
uniting women to the franchise first
originated, there is, and always will
be, we suppose, diversity of opinion
in regard to the advisability of allow
ing women the privilege of a voice in
electing the Legislature of the coun-
try. Like our senior member Mr..
Dalrymple, there are many who be-
lieve that women would be better
occupied as wives and mothers while
others like the veteran statesmen Sir
George Grey and Sir Henry Parkes
are of opinion that the step taken by
the people of New Zealand was one in
the right direction showing that a
young nation had recognized that the
wives and mothers of the colony were
in every respect worthy and deserving
OF having some voice and vote in re-
ference to their own welfare. Sir
George even goes further, and advo-
Gates the principle that women should
mt only houn a Unfn for tho a n q MI no of
males, but that they should have like
Chamber of their own in place of the
Legislative Council, and holds that
the tenderness of wOman'S heart and
her devotion to her husband and child
rem would lead her to frame laws more
for the benefit of the human race than
any other laws yet made. We are not
all prepared to advocate woman suf-
frage for Queensland at present, but
should the time arrive when it will be
found desirable to allow women the
same privilege as is now accorded
them in New Zealand, we hold that
the time will also have arrived for al
lowing them to have q direct voice in
the Legislature of the country, be-
lieving, as we do, that the two conces-
sioDS should be granted simultane-
ously.
AS regards the effect of women's
vote at the recent election in New
Zealand, the fact cannot be ignored
that 1T was largely instrumental in
gaining for the Ministerialists the sub
stantial majority of fifty-two out of
the seyenty-four seats contested. 1t is
n somewhat remarkable fact that no
less than two hundred and seventy-one
candidates aspired to take possession
of these seventy-four seats and this
enormous canGidature is declared by
opponents of the measure to be attrib-
utable to women having encouraged
every faddist to offer himself for par
Iiamentary honors. However this may
be, it is beyond dispute that the great
est interest was shown by the women,
numbers of them taking prominent
parts In the various election meetings
to the discontinue of many of the
candidates, and though the excite.
ment appears to have run high at
times, to the credit of the male cleo
tors be it said, the women were in no
way subjected to any unpleasantness
in the way of election chaf, notwith-
standing that the votes of the latter
were everywhere freely exercised and
evidently to considerable purpose. 1t
is stated that Mr.. RolIeston, the
leader of the opposition, owed his de-
feat entirely 10 the determined way
the women worked against him be-
cause of the opposition he offered to
the bill granting them the exercise of
the franchise, while Sir George Crews
large majority of 100 at Parnell is
said to be largely owing to his sup
port OF the measure which he con-
stantly advocated with all the orator.
cal force at his command.
1t is quite evident that the women
of New Zealand intend to exercise