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Empire, and who was at the same time a strong upholder of the movement, the Right Hon. Sir George Grey. True, he had withdrawn from active official life before this question became prominent-but the influence of such a man reaches far down the years.

Australia presents the unique record of a Federation of States formed without the shedding of one drop of blood, and-may it be of happy augury-the unique record of having the votes of women mingled with those of men in its first Federal Parliament; for as the chronicle of events given below will show, South Australian and West Australian women were already enfranchised.

The movement in South Australia has this remarkable feature, that the question was debated and carried in the House of Assembly while as yet no organization had been formed, not a meeting held, not a petition presented. The agitation in the Colony followed the first victory in the Legislature.

Western Australia has this special record, that though the question had been more or less mooted in the Colony since 1893, owing in considerable measure to the migration of some of its earnest advocates from the Mother Colony of New South Wales to this youngest Colony, the organization of the Women's Franchise League was only formed in May 1899, and before the first year of its existence was closed, it had been transformed into the "Women's Electoral League" for the registration of women voters.

The Mother Colony is rapidly overtaking the swifter progress of these younger communities; and ever since

Sir Henry Parkes brought the question into prominence in his Electoral Bill of 1890, the movement has been spreading steadily and firmly-and now the vigorous organization of the New South Wales Womanhood Suffrage League, and the large majority in the House of Assembly in September 1901, gives every prospect that the day of achievement is very near.

Victoria presses closely on the steps of New South Wales-its story in one respect resembles the story in the old country; for in Victoria, in the beginning, women had votes, and the fact that they had them and they were taken away, has probably operated to the disadvantage of the movement. When once a right has been taken away it is harder to get it restored than to press on a new claim. [See Note, p. 244.]

Be that as it may, the signs of movement showed themselves earlier in Victoria than in any of the other Australian colonies; but there was a lack of something, probably best described as a lack of that concentration which comes of a good lead, such as Dr. Sterling and Sir Henry Parkes had given; so that for several years the Victorian Women's Suffrage agitation was unable to make itself felt in Parliament. However, in the last few years, a change has been apparent, largely due to the patience and tact of the late Annette Bear Crawford, who returned to settle in Australia after some years spent in England amongst women workers in this country. A United Council for Women's Suffrage was formed in 1894, and the various local organizations and scattered workers were drawn into co-ordinated work. This had marked effect in the General Election of 1894.

In 1895 the Premier, Mr. Turner, introduced a measure which has now passed the Legislative Assembly six times with increasing majorities; while the strength of the agitation, since the formation of the United National Council, has drawn forth a foil in the shape of an anti-suffrage remonstrance.

In Queensland and Tasmania organizations are at work; the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which has been an important aid in all Australasian agitations, has been especially helpful in Tasmania. But more than all is the prospect of an early federal franchise for women, since each of the four colonies where women have not yet been enfranchised have sent a majority of Women's Suffrage supporters to the Federal Parliament.

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South Australia Women are already included in the Electorate.

West Australia

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Mr. Barton, Premier of the Federated Parliament, speaking at the prize-giving of the Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne, on 16th December 1901, used these

1 These figures are taken from the Australian Woman's Sphere.

significant words: "When we instituted manhood suffrage in most of our States, we did not finish our work -and we will not have finished it until the franchise is extended to women. . . . One of my colleagues is going to bring in a Bill for that purpose, because we feel it will be for the good of Australia."

The conditions under which the question has shown itself in Canada differ widely from those of Australia. An obstacle unknown in Australia has been serious in Canada-the obstacle of a mixture of races. What English-speaking Ontario was ready for, French-speaking Quebec was still far from accepting. The Electoral Bill introduced by the Prime Minister, Sir J. A. Macdonald, in the Dominion Parliament in 1883, provided for the extension of the franchise to unmarried women possessing the qualifications required of men. The Bill was not finally carried until 1885, but the clause to enfranchise women was rejected after a debate of thirtysix hours.

Since then no attempt seems to have been made to bring the question before the Dominion Parliament. But much advance has been made in the different provinces in regard to local votes. Women now vote at municipal and School Board elections throughout the Dominion; their higher education has risen rapidly; their organizations for useful work for the benefit of the community, their industrial interests are all working together to show them the need of direct influence on those by whom they are governed.1

1 See the chapter on the Political Position of Canadian Women by Mrs. O. C. Edwards, of Montreal, in Women of Canada, compiled, at

There remains the South African colonies. Of these little can be said. The question has not yet come within sight. If mixture of races has been a source of delay in Canada, how much more must it have told against any advance hitherto in South Africa. But the duties laid upon women in the terrible South African upheaval, combined with their part as "Builders of the Empire" in the endeavour after reorganized life, will give them a claim when the days of settlement come, such as women have never had in colonial story.

§ 51. Chronicle of Australasian Events.

I. NEW ZEALAND.

Although the pamphlet previously mentioned was the earliest bit of pioneer work, the first public note of preparation was a speech to his constituents by Sir Julius Vogel in 1875, in which he stated that he was in favour of extending the franchise to women.

1878. The Government introduced an Electoral Bill which included the enfranchisement of ratepaying women. This passed the House of Representatives, but the Bill met with much opposition on other grounds in the Legislative Council, and was not proceeded with.

1886. The New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union was constituted this year, and one of its first actions was to form a franchise department. Mrs

the request of the Minister of Agriculture, by the National Council of Women of Canada, for distribution at the Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901.

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