aganda of the great mass
of suffragists throughout the country. We quoted the American proverb,
"Three hornets can upset a camp meeting," and we determined to hold
steadily on our way and not let our hornets upset us. Our societies
multiplied rapidly both in numbers and in membership. For instance,
the number forming the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
increased from 64 in 1909 to 130 in 1910 and went on increasing
rapidly until just before the war in 1914 they numbered more than 600,
with a revenue of over 42,000 pounds a year.

More important in many ways than the "militant" movement was the
emergence at the General Election in 1906 of the Labour Party. Mr.
Keir Hardie, Mr. Philip Snowden and others of its leaders were very
strong supporters of women's suffrage and it was not long before the
party definitely made the enfranchisement of women on the same terms
as men a plank in its platform. In anticipation of the first General
Election of 1910, the N.U.W.S.S. addressed the leaders of the three
British parties, Conservative, Liberal, and Labour, asking them what
they were prepared to do for Women's Suffrage. Mr. Asquith gave his
answer at an Albert Hall meeting in December, 1909. He reiterated his
intention, if returned to power, of bringing in a Reform Bill, and he
promised to make the insertion of a Women's Suffrage amendment an open
question for the House of Commons to decide. He added: "The Government
... has no disposition or desire to burke the question; it is clearly
an issue on which the new House ought to be given an opportunity to
express its views." This meant that the Government whips would not be
put on to oppose the enfranchisement of women. Mr. Balfour replied to
our memorial that it was a non-party question on which members of the
Unionist Party could exercise individual freedom of action. Mr. Arthur
Henderson, for the Labour Party, told us that it had already placed
the enfranchisement of women on its programme. The Labour Party was
not large but it was an important advantage to us to have even a small
party definitely pledged to our support. There were two General
Elections in 1910, in January and December. The Liberal, Labour and
Nationalist group lost heavily in the second of these elections, their
majority being reduced from 334 to 124.

The Labour Party between these two elections had lost six seats but
they were still forty strong, all definitely pledged to Women's
Suffrage in the