has occurred a contested election in the town of Bury, Lancashire, for commissioners under the Local Government Act. In this the women ratepayers, as they were entitled to do, took part and voted. But there is a proposal to supersede the local Act by the introduction of the Municipal Act, and in this case, unless the clause adopted by the House of Commons became law, the women ratepayers of Bury will be speedily deprived of the electoral powers they now possess.

"When the town of Southport was incorporated, the inhabitants of the neighbouring district of Birkdale Park resisted the extension of the Municipal Act to that place, chiefly on account of the disfranchisement which its provisions regarding term of residence and sex would effect. But of a total number of 290 ratepayers now entitled to vote under the Local Government Act, 76, or nearly one-third, would have been disfranchised because they were women. The person who has the largest assessment, and therefore the greatest number of votes, is a lady who has twelve votes. Had the district been incorporated all these votes would have been taken away from her, and the franchise given to the poor cottager, of which the largest ratepayer had been deprived. My authority for these statements is Mr. George Higginbotham, Chairman of the local Board of Commissioners, Birkdale, Southport.

"When the case is fairly before them, we do earnestly hope that the House of Lords will agree with the Commons in desiring to preserve from extinction rights in regard to local government which have been exercised by women ratepayers from the earliest period to

the present day, and which have been carefully guarded by so many successive Acts of Parliament.-I am, my Lord, your Lordship's obedient servant,

"LYDIA E. BECKER."

Letter to the Rt. Hon. H. A. Bruce, M.P., Secretary of State:

"12th April 1870.

"SIR,-By desire of Mr. Jacob Bright, I send you the first and second annual report of the above Societycontaining information respecting the number of women who voted at the municipal election of 1st November 1869. The proportion of women to men on the register varies greatly in different boroughs, as you will perceive from the table of statistics appended to the second report-as does likewise the proportion of women to men who voted at the said election. It was not to be expected that at first the proportion would be equal, and in some places the disproportion is very great, but in the majority of cases the proportion is reasonably near, and in others, as Bolton, Bristol, Leicester, the proportion of women who voted was greater than that of the men, taking into consideration the number of each on the register. In one ward in Manchester a woman elector set her heart on being the first at the poll, and in Leeds a poor widow was the first to record her vote in Holbeck Ward. The event was commemorated by a testimonial presented by subscription of 150 working men in the ward. In Congleton two ladies had voted before the clock stood at five minutes past the hour for commencing the poll. These facts, though trivial in them

selves, show that electoral privileges are very earnestly prized by women. The removal of the disabilities with regard to the Parliamentary vote, which is the natural sequence of the removal of municipal disabilities, would undoubtedly be followed by a similar manifestation of the value attached to these privileges, and I venture to express a most earnest hope that a Liberal Government will be found willing to declare that free government is the privilege of all Her Majesty's subjects."

§ 19. The Supporters of the Movement.

Here it may be well to close the period of preparation with an enumeration of the friends who had helped the cause in its early stages. The following list contains the names of proved friends who formed the backbone of the movement in the country at the time Mr. Jacob Bright introduced the first Bill into Parliament. In addition to the first pioneers and to the members of the early committees, the list contains the names of those who had spoken at meetings in support of the question; names of some who had signed the early petitions and afterwards became prominent workers in the movement; and of some men and women of literary and professional eminence who had signed and otherwise shown their steady adherence. Those who, in 1901, are still members of one or other of the Women's Suffrage Societies are marked*. Italic type distinguishes those who have passed from this life. The members of committees are distinguished by the name of their town; the speakers by the dates of the meetings addressed.