al
Party in 1886 by advocating Irish Home Rule, and Mr. Balfour and Mr.
Chamberlain had broken up the Conservative Party by advocating
Protection in 1903-4. Each of these had, in consequence, a prolonged
sojourn in the wilderness of Opposition. But now a Government was
formed in which all the parties were represented except the Irish
Nationalists, who had refused to join, and therefore our friends in
both the old parties could give free rein to their disposition to make
Women's Suffrage a reality without dread of bringing disaster on their
organisations. The attitude of the N.U.W.S.S. and seventeen other
Constitutional Suffrage Societies who had united to form a
Consultative Committee, was quite clear as to the line we should take
under these circumstances. In various ways and by repeated
communications, letters, memorials and deputations we kept the
Government informed that if their intentions with regard to the new
register were limited simply to replacing upon it the names of the men
who had lost their vote through their patriotic service, we should not
press our own claim; but if on the other hand the Government
determined to proceed by creating a new basis for the franchise, or
changing the law in any way which would result in the addition of a
large number of men to the register, without doing anything for women,
we should use every means in our power within the limits of lawful
agitation to bring the case for the enfranchisement of women before
Parliament and the country.

Mr. Asquith answered a communication from us on these lines in May,
1916, with the greatest politeness but said that "no such legislation
was at present in contemplation." However, within the next fortnight
it was in contemplation and the Government made repeated attempts to
deal with the situation by the creation of a special register. All the
attempts were rejected by the House of Commons, which evidently wanted
the subject dealt with on broader and more comprehensive lines. On
August 14 Mr. Asquith, in introducing yet another Special Register
Bill, announced his conversion to Women's Suffrage! This was an advent
of great importance to our movement, for it virtually made the Liberal
Party a Suffrage Party, but the Parliamentary difficulty was not
removed, for the Government was still nibbling at the question by
trying to deal with it by little amendments to the law relating to
the registration of voters. At last a way out was devised. Mr. Wa