Liberal Measures Affecting the Working Classes

Emily Davison — Fri, 13 Oct 1911 00:01:49 +0000

October 13, 1911, To the Editor of The Times, “Liberal Measures Affecting the Working

Classes”

The “intrusion” of legislation into social and domestic space that resulted from the various

reforms of the later nineteenth and earlier twentieth century in England became an argument

for woman suffrage. Here, the presence of children in public houses becomes the center of

an argument in favor of the social benefits of woman suffrage in New Zealand, where female

drunkenness has decreased since the enfranchisement of women, and the suffragist argument

that women’s perspectives on social problems expressed through their votes will yield better

legislation.

Sir, –The letter which you publish in your columns to-day, signed, ‘A Working Woman,’

forms a strong prima facie argument for the need of woman’s point of view in the State

to-day. Legislation, especially under Liberal administration, is tending to become more

and more domestic and social in trend. Here is a case where it is deliberately interfering

with the relations of parent and child. As Mr. Chesterton put it at the Queen’s Hall the

other night, an immense step would have been taken in the direction of social reform if

all those women who entered a public-house refused point-blank to leave their children

outside. Such a situation would undoubtedly have arisen if the women had possessed a

feeling that they were responsible citizens of their country. But, being in their present

irresponsible position, they accept the status quo as inevitable. Undoubtedly the drink

problem is a terrible one, but this is not the way to solve it—at the expense of the children.

If women had had the voice in national affairs which they demand, such harmful and

sentimental tinkering as this would not have taken place. For a wiser example let us look

to New Zealand, where women have had the vote since 1893, and where the Licensing Act

of 1908 has got well to grips with this problem, for the average of convictions of women for

drunkenness per 1,000 has been steadily lowered from 2.51 to 1.68. Your working woman

correspondent, having more sense upon such a matter as this than a whole male Cabinet,

suggests that while public-houses exist under their present condition the only feasible

alternatives are to let the children in or to force the public-houses to provide decent

nurseries for the children. That the innocent should suffer for the guilty is unpardonable.

But it will happen so long as the State is one-sided in view.

Yours, &c.,

EMILY WILDING DAVISON

31, Coram-street, W.C., Oct. 12

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Liberal Measures Affecting the Working Classes