Women’s Conference on the Insurance Bill: Sir – With reference to the announcement of the above in your columns on Saturday. I beg to inform you that Mrs. Hume Pinsent has reconsidered her decision to take the chair, as she thinks that her doing so at our request might mislead the public as to her attitude upon the controversial question of woman suffrage. I should, however, like to make it clear that the committee approached Mrs. Hume Pinsent in the first place because her publics position and abilities clearly indicated her as best fitted to preside, and in the second place because we knew that she had always consistently refused to take either side upon the suffrage question, and had absolutely declined repeated invitations from both parties to join their ranks. In justice to my committee, I finally add that we are simply taking the initiative in summoning the conference, and we naturally wished secure a chairman before the preliminary announcement of the meeting, but the arrangements, the resolutions to be submitted to the meeting, and the whole of the details are to be left to the committee which will be formed by each society taking part in the conference nominating a delegate for that purpose. Had our circular to the various other societies which have the interests of women at heart been published in full no possible misunderstanding on this point could have arisen. Maria Lakin-Smith, Chairman. The National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage (Birmingham and District Branch), 109, Colmore, Row, Birmingham, Nov. 27.
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949