The Franchise Bill – Women in Local Government: by Mildred Mansel: Mr. Asquith’s speech in the House of Commons on Friday last, though it gave clear Anti-Suffrage lead to his followers and exposed his machinations with regard to the Franchise Bill as a Bill to give votes to men only , and nothing in it to cause surprise to militant Suffragists. Ever since the introduction of the Manhood Suffrage Bill, there leaders of the W.S.P.U. have denounced the Bill, not only as an insult to women in itself, but also in offering women no opportunity whatever for the enfranchisement … …(continues with arguments against bill and claim that with regard to Local Government it takes a retrograde step in blocking married women from standing in local council elections – which had been sanctioned by Qualification of Women (Borough and County Councils) Act, 1907 … … continues) … … Thus, at Birmingham, in September 1909, the revising barrister allowed the claim of Mrs. C. W. Dixon, a married woman, to vote as a burgess for the City Council of Birmingham. He held that the disability of married women to vote in the Town and County Councils had been removed by the necessary implication contained in the Qualification of Women (County and Borough Councils) Act, 1907, and similarly at Staverton, Glos., the claim of a Mrs. Mcllquaham was allowed to stand. Comparatively few revising barristers allowed these claims, but women have succeeded in getting on to the burgess roll in this way in various parts of England, and at this time in the City of Birmingham there are about thirty married women who vote at the Municipal elections, and a married woman, Mrs. Hume Pinsent, is now serving on the Town Council itself. The “Reform” Bill would, however, change this. The electoral disability of married women, hitherto undefined and created incidentally by the absence of a provision providing that a woman otherwise fully qualified but prevented from being registered owing to the fact that she is not a Parliamentary elector, should nevertheless be entitled to be on the burgess roll and the register of County electors, is now rendered statutory. The Bill, as the Women’s Local Government Society points out in their letter to the Prime Minister, will “actually worsen the position of women in local government.” Mrs. Hume Pinsent, who is doing admirable work at Birmingham, will be disqualified from standing again, and all those married women whose names have been placed on the burgess roll will be struck off. The inclusion of this disabling clause in the Bill is the straw which shows how the wind blows as far as the Government’s dealings with women are concerned, and also throws an interesting sidelight on Anti-Suffrage propaganda. … (continues) …
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