On Monday, in reply to a direct question from Mr.
Asquith, the Speaker ruled that by the insertion of any of the suffrage amendments the Bill would in effect become a new measure, which ought to be withdrawn in accordance with the practice of the House. In face of the Speaker's ruling, Mr. Asquith declared that it would be futile to proceed with the Grey Amendment, though personally he regretted that the oppor- tunity of pressing the matter to a division had been lost. As the Government had undertaken to give full and unfettered discussion of woman suffrage on any Bill for the extension of the franchise, they held it would now be neither fair nor right to proceed with this measure. But they intended when and if the opportunity arose to pass a Bill of Electoral Reform, including registration and redistribution, and in particular they were determined to deal effectively with the abuse of plural voting during the lifetime of the present Parliament. In order to fulfil their pledges to the women suffragists, a Government Bill being for obvious reasons impossible, they proposed to give next session special facilities to a private member's Bill, which must be so framed as not to exclude amendments embodying different suffrage proposals, members of the Government retaining complete freedom of action.
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