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A well-attended meeting under the auspices of the Darlington Women’s Suffrage Society was held in the Mechanics’ Hall last night. Mrs Hy Fawcett LLD, the great pioneer of the women’s movement, was the principal speaker, and she had the support of a very representative platform.

Mr H Pike Pease, MP, had been announced to preside, but the secretary (Miss Woodhead) read a letter from him in which he expressed regret that owing to a severe cold he would be unable to preside. “Without the help that had been given by women without stint during the war,” wrote Me Pike Pease, “defeat would have been, humanly speaking, a certainty, and the vast majority of the population now recognised the justice of a women’s cause in regard to electoral reform and representation.” He added: “I believe that in this supreme moment, when peace seems possible, the women of Darlington will feel as strongly as men the determination to continue the present conflict unril not only restitution, restoration and punishment are obtained, but until there is an absolute certainty of permanent peace.”

The Rev TC Gobat, who took the chair in place of Mr Pike Pease, said that the women’s cause was more than the cause of women, it was the cause of justice, morality, and national well-being.

They had got a long way to go yet before they got rid of those artificial distinctions which still prevailed in the political, social, and industrial life of today between men and women. They were out for ending those artificial distinctions. They wanted the same moral standards for men and women to play their parts as citizens of the Empire to which they all belonged.

Coun Clara Lucas moved: – “That this meeting rejoices over the great measure of political enfranchisement recently granted to women, places on record its gratitude to Members of Parliament of all parties who secured this victory for representative government; and resolved to work in the future for the great principles of equal citizenship and equality of opportunity for women.”

Miss Graham seconded this resolution.

EQUAL RIGHTS WITH MEN

Mrs Fawcett spoke in support of the resolution. She said it was with deep thankfulness they were able to say that peace was not only in sight but was now even within reach; and they might look forward to the time when a League of Nations would be established which would make a repetition of the appalling war impossible in the future.

Turning the question of women’s suffrage, Mrs Fawcett said they had not got all they wanted. They set out to get the suffrage on the same terms as it was granted to men. They had got a great installment, but they meant to go on working until they got the same terms as men. Men who were in the Services might vote when 19 years of age, but a woman, whatever she might have done for her country, could not vote until she had reached the mature age of 30 years.

They had many laws which discriminated between men and women, and in almost every case to the disadvantage of the woman. The moral standard, as the Chairman had said, was not the same for women and for men. The laws of inheritance, the law as to guardianship of children, the laws of marriage, and of divorce were all unfair to the woman. There was the question of women becoming chartered accountants. they were shut out of the work to their great disadvantage.

Then there was the question of the entry of women into the Civil Service. Women had done magnificent service in the Civil Service during the war, but there was no proper channel for them to enter the Civil Service in time of peace. They wanted women to be free citizens. They stood for equality of opportunity for women, and equality of citizenship.

WOMEN’S POWER IN THE VOTE

Some people were anxious as to how women would use the vote. They would use it in the way calculated to forward the well-being of their country. She did not know, nor did she care to which party they would give their votes, but ever number of Parliament would now know that 40 percent of his votes would come from the women, and that would give the women far more power than they had before. She hope that women would put the interests and well-being of their country before the interests of party.

Well organised and well led they would now have the power to protect the industrial interests of women. It was a great opportunity which brought with it great responsibility.

Her fifty years in the Women Suffrage movement, added Mrs Fawcett, had been 50 years of most enjoyable work, and she wished for nothing better than to go on cultivating this productive harvest.

It had taken women fifty years – from 1867 to 1917 – to win their political freedom, but she did not think they had done badly, for it took men 52 years, from 1832 to 1884, to win household suffrage for themselves.

As to what women would do with their vote, she believed they would use it to make the world a better place, not only for women, but for men, women and children.

The resolution was unanimously carried and a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mrs Fawcett and the chairman, on the motion of Mrs Baynes and Mr G E Markham.

Date: 17 October 1917

Author: Northern Despatch

Where to find this: Darlington Centre for Local Studies
Durham County Record Office

Contributed by Darlington Centre for Local Studies