Daily camera., 1898-06-17
FEMININE POLITICIANS.
English Women Take Active Part
in Vote Getting.
The Wives of Candidates for Office
Garry on a Regular Canvass of
Their Own Noted Lady
Speakers.

The American woman has, practi
cally, no direct voice in the government
of the United States-a fact frequently
and forcibly presented to us by the
female suffragists. Her English sis
ters, also excluded from the parliament
ary franchise, are, nevertheless, active
ly interested in politics. The tide of
many British election is turned by
the inuence of the wife or sweetheart
or sister of one of the contending can
didates.
During an American campaign the
rival aspirants for Office stump their
states or districts, while their fam
lilies are at home eagerly reading their
speeches and hoping and praying that
thir own particular dear one will be
elected. The wife of a nominee for con-
gress is raised to the seventh heaven Of
bliss when her husband is called on by
his party to lead it to victory. He i'm
mediately assumes the leadership of To-
cal society, and her projects of social
conquests in Washington form the abb
sorbing topic Of her conversation. But
she rarely does any work to help her
husband upon his path to the capitol,
On the other hand, consider the proc
esses of an English election. When a
gentleman decides to stand for a GER,
tain borough or district, he starts out
backed by personal and political friends
who are anxious to see him seated,
His wife or sister is pretty sure to be
pressed into service. Metaphorically
speaking, she takes off her coat and
goes in hammer and tongs. In a country
district, when the nominee is booked to
speak at a certain town or village, the
local delegation of worthy burghers
and farmers meets him and his party
at the station. The would-be NJ P. Is
escorted to the platform, from which he
is to tell his friends what evils ex-
ist in the government, and how he will
right them if elected"
Meanwhile his wife begins her can
vass. Accompanied by Sir Basil What's
his name, Bart, and Captain Hon,
Hugh Soandson, the candidates lady
visits the homes of the voters. The
buxom housewife welcomes her with
genteel courtesy, and ushers the COM
pany into the parlor. The visitors can
not say too much in praise of the con-
summate taste shown in the grass-green
carpet and the sky-blue wallpaper At
last the retreat is sounded, and this
feminine vote winner proceeds to the
next house, and the next, until the
mented and made secure from the OPP
position, as far as womenfolk are con-
cerned.
The Primrose league, the great con.
servative association, has been most
formidable political machine in Eng
land, and this is of1icered and managed
by women. At the same time it is a
grave question with all Americans who
have witnessed an English election
whether they would like to see their
own women at such work. Stanley's
wife was badly hurt when he was can.
yassing district in South London, and
the list of women who have been cut
or bruised on the hustings is not
short one.
English women do not confine their
work to canvassing. They speak for
their candidates, and some of them
are among the best political speakers
In the country, Lady Jeune is really
and the marchioness of SAL
isbury has been known to "talk for
the tories" But times have changed
since the latter part of theIast century,
and kisses are no longG: traded for
votes, after the fashion of the lovely
Georgiana, duchess of Devonshire,
when she canvassed Westminster for
Commercial Tribune,