Mr. Jacob Bright's bill for conceding the Parliamentary fran- ohise
to female householders, if single women, was defeated on Wednesday by 220 to 151, after a debate in which the honours were carried away by Mr. Bright himself, who argued his case in the regular fashion, but with clearness and fairness ; and by Mr. H. James (Taunton), who made a bold and incisive speech against the Bill ; reminded Mr. Gladstone that "if lame had no past, popularity had no future ;" declared that the "sympathetic element in the nature of women blinded them to all logic ;" argued that girls could not have a regular training in the world to fit them for political life; depre- osted the influence the bill would give to the clergy, and knocked to pieces the argument from the Throne by saying that her Majesty, specially trained by statesmen as she was, obeyed "the guidance and direction of a foreigner, simply because she was a woman and he was ti man." The speech has greatly raised Mr. James's position in the House. It was the speech of a man who was weary of talking around a subject, and went straight to the root of the matter. Mr. Bouverie argued that the claim came mainly from philosophers, who would relax marriage ; and Mr. Scourfield, in a most unworthy speech, hinted that all strong- minded women were ugly. No Romola is possible to him, apparently, even in imagination.
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