The Government on Monday decided to withdraw the Franchise Bill.
The history of this strange and discreditable episode is as follows : On the House going into Committee one the Bill on Friday the 24th -ult., Mr. Lloyd George at once asked the Chairman, Mr. Whitley, whether the woman suffrage amendments were in oruer, and, if so, whether the cumulative effect of carrying any of these, as well as other amendments of which the Government had given notice, would be to transform the Bill into a new measure, and whether in that case the Chairman would rule that the Committee could not proceed with it. The Chairman replied that his duty was confined to deciding whether the amendments as they came successively before the Committee were in order or not. It would therefore not be in his power to stop the Committee's proceedings. He ruled that the first, or Grey Amendment, was in order; if it was rejected he should not allow any of the other amendments to be moved, but if it were carried they could be brought forward. If they were all rejected, there would be a return to the status quo ante, and the word " person " would mean " male person." Mr. Lyttelton then moved the Grey Amendment to leave out the word " male," urging the claims of women to the franchise on the ground of the responsible work they already did on Royal Commissions and local bodies.
