On Monday a crowded and enthusiastic meeting was held in
the Queen's Hall to protest against the proposal for woman. suffrage. Lord Curzon explained that Sir Edward Grey's amendment to the Franchise Bill was an enabling amendment to prepare the way for one of the three subsequent amend- ments. Of these three subsequent amendments Mr. Henderson's, by giving the vote to every adult person, would enfranchise, he believed, thirteen millions of women, would place the Empire in the hands of women, and make us " the laughingstock of the world " ; Mr. Dickinson's amendment, by enfranchising women householders, and the wives of householders, would place six millions of women on the register and give them "the casting vote" between the great political parties ; as for the amendment on the lines of the Conciliation Bill, its principle had already been rejected in this Parliament, and no doubt would be rejected again. Anti-suffragists should take no risks, and therefore should spare no effort to defeat Sir Edward Grey's amendment. Mr. Hobhouse and Sir Edward Clarke also spoke. We have written on the subject elsewhere, but may say here that we cannot conceive how anyone calling himself a democrat can propose to give woman suffrage the benefit of the Parliament Act and thus force it over the heads of the Lords, although the country has never been consulted in the matter, and apparently dislikes the whole idea of woman suffrage.
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