Tuesday, November 11, 1911, Paper unknown, “The Conciliation Bill”

31 Coram Street, London, W.C., November 11

Sir, –The president and secretary of the Scottish National Anti-Suffrage League (Glasgow

Branch) makes in your columns of November 7 a vain protest against statistics. Glasgow,

like other great municipalities such as Manchester, Dublin, and Leeds, passed a resolution

in favour of the Conciliation Bill. The Anti-Suffrage League protests that they had no right

to do so, as town councils are non-political bodies. These antis, however, forget that the

councils had the right to express the views of the women as well as the men by whom

they are elected, especially as these women are the very ones to be enfranchised under

the bill, which until recently was the main hope of the suffragists. If Dundee were accused

of offending in this respect, then the antis should also fulminate against no less than 142

town, county, borough, and district councils which have similarly offended. Also these

antis have forgotten that the bill was strictly non-party and therefore a bill on which these

councils had every right to express a ’collective’ opinion. I am, etc.,

EMILY WILDING DAVISON