Bisbee daily review., 1912-02-20
SUFFRAGE FIGHT IS
 NEAR ILLUMINATION
Climax in England May Come During the
 Present Week

LONDON, Fetl 19:-The present week promises to bring the vomen's suffrage campaign to 6 critical point and 1t is even within the range of pos siDility that the question Of the inn pending submission to the house of commons of a women's suffrage i'll the advocates of womans suffrage and the opponents of womans en. franchisement have made their plans for a last tremendous effort On Friday big meeting will be held at Albert Hall under the auspices Of the National Union of Women Suffrage societies. and Mir. Lloyd-George, the chancellor of the exchequer, will be the principal speaker. The last gun of the anti-suffragists will be fired on Wednesday of next week, when a meeting under the auspices of the Ma uonal League for Opposing Woman Suffrage will be held at Albert Hall. Lord Cromer. the president of the or ganiation will preside at that meeting and Lord CrOmerZ, Lord Curzon, Lord Loreburn, MT. Harcourt and a number of prominent unionists will be among the speakers.
 
 not a matter of national political i'm portance in its early stages but it gained enormously in importance when Chancellor Lloyd-George open ly espoused the cause of votes for women" Never before had a high government official in England cham pioned the cause, until Mir. Lloyd. George entered the lists, ready to fight for the franchise principal and to carry the contest directly before the house of commons The fact that he and the Prime Minister, MT. As quith. are on opposing sides on this important issue, makes the situation even more acute and there are many who believe that the womans fran chise issue will cause a split, not only in the cabinet but in the liberal party and may, eventually. precipitate a na. tional crisis in the political situation.
 A sharp line of demarcation divides the entire cabinet into hostile camps. While the "antis'. led by Premier Asquith. have a majority Of the hold. CTS of portfolios on their side, their margin numbers only two. So far as is known the "antis" also have con- siderable majority in parliament and. unless some unforeseen complication should arise, there is but little pro- bability that the House of Commons will, at this time, accept the princi- pie Of woman's franchise. The sui frage sympathizers hope, however to create so much sentiment for votes for women" that the proposition will be sure of acceptance in the next Parl- lament
 The differences over the suffrage question has caused a considerable strain of the relations between Pre- mier Asquith and Chancellor Lloyd. George and it is generally believed that a complete rupture between them is merely a matter of time It is difficult to see how disaster to the lib. eral party can be ayerted under these conditions.
 MT. Lloyd-George intends to bring | the suffrage matter before the com mons in the form of an amendment to the reform bill. The ingenious de- vice by which, under cover of the plea that the matter Is a none-party one, the endeavor will be made to get the house of commons to accept the pro posal without government responsi- oility, will probably add to the acri- mony of the debates on the floor of the house. The battle promises to | be extremely spectacular and will at tract intense interest throughout the country.