Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-04-14

FAMILY SUFFRAGE IN
NEW ZEALAND.


Hon. Hugh H. Lusk. an ex-me a.
Der OF the New Zealand Parliament,
travelling in Americar for hls health,
spoke as follows in an address at the
May festival Of the New England
Woman Suffrage Association:
up to 1877. we had no idea OF
-sez AsN " esslHns uewoA suIA!S
land.
1T was done not by argument. but
by experiment. ! had a little to do
with the first experiment. which was
he extension Of suffrage to a small
class of women.
by the Education Act Of 1917
che householders of each district
were empowered to elect a committee
of seven of their number to have
had much to do with this Act
;harge of the schools of the district
While the Dall was in committee.
mother member suggested to me
that it would be good thing to leave
1ut the word male" beore house
lolder.' y
Il saw no objection and moved it
This was the first thin edge of the big
wedge by which full suffrage has
been given to all the women of New
Zealand.
"'The women got the school vote
and used it. They did not say, oh
dear, no. it wouldn't be proper!' The.
went to the polls and voted for tht
best men. They took so much inter
esttsthat at the next election some
wolaen were elected to the school
boards, and they showed so mucn ap.
|itude for this sort of work that when
in 1882, the license question came W
it was proposed that women ratepay.
|ers, should help choose the board OF
commissioners in each district who
control the issuing of licenses.
This met with great objection.
We were told that now indeed we
should utterly destroy the character
of the ladies, for all the worst ele-
ments would be brought in contact
with them. and would make things
very unpleasant for them. We said,
We don't believe the men of New
Zealand are as bad as you think. and
if they are, they are not to be trust
ed to vote alone for these boards OF
license commissioners. The women
were given the license to vote. To
the surprise and disappointment of
their opponents, they voted well, and
met with no trouble, and certainly
they greatly improved the licensing
boards.
Then we felt that we could 90
little further. and gave the women
The right to vote at municipal cleo
lions and to serve on the municipal
boards. I know one woman who
acted for two years as mayor (not
maYoress) Of very prosperous little
town, and did as well as any mayor
could have done.
Il have always said what l thot
and in some cases have said it till
1 was in danger of being pelted off
the platform. This is one minor rea-
son why believe in woman suffrage.
No one Is pelted now.
Women attend all political meet
ings, and it has done an immense
deal Of good. When men congre
gate by themselves, they get excitet
and sometimes misbehave. Women,
PERHAPS do the same. 1t is not good
for omen. either, to be alone.
at seemed queer at first to ind
half the benches at political meet
ing occupied by ladies: but when the
men .aave got accustomed to it, they
do not like the other thing.
t'When they found they could take
their wives and daughters to these
meetings, and afterwards take them
home and talk about it. 1t was the
beginning Of new life for the fam
lily, a life Of ideas and interests In
common, and unison of thought.
.''T.ae influence of equal suffrage
has been rather against the milliners
and dressmakers; there is not SC
much time for criticizing ones neigh
bors bonnets and cloaks. = Gossip