Lord John Manners resumed the debate on Thursday, in a
speech which proved how very little he had grasped the full meaning of the issue. The only thing to debate was, as he put it, a very humdrum matter,—" Will you grant the Parlia- mentary franchise to a class of her Majesty's subjects who for many years past have blamelessly, and with great advantage to the State, exercised the franchise at municipal, poor-law, and school-board elections P" He might as well say that the following would be a very humdrum question,—' Will you admit to the ser- vice of the State, in the Army and Navy, a class that have shown that they can serve it with great advantage as Post-Office and telegraph clerks P' Mr. E. A. Leatham made a very spirited speech against the amendment, declaring that the real issue was a much greater one than Mr. Woodall contemplated, and was no less than the expediency of acclimatising here women who are neither women nor men, but a hybrid between the two ; and was answered by Mr. Stansfeld, who was exceedingly in- dignant with the Prime Minister for refusing to accept this amendment as compatible with the Bill.
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