as adjourned till June
12.

On the intervening day a meeting was summoned of the general
committee of the society. Miss Cobbe first, and Mr. Woodall
subsequently, presided, and the following resolutions were passed:

_Resolved_, That the claim of duly qualified women to the
exercise of the suffrage having been continuously presented
before parliament and the country since the Reform bill of 1867,
this meeting is of opinion that the time when the legislature is
again engaged in amending the law relating to the representation
of the people is the proper time for the consideration of this
claim.

_Resolved_, That this meeting heartily approves of the amendment
which Mr. Woodall has moved in committee on the Franchise bill
for extending its provisions to duly qualified women, and pledge
themselves to support his action by every means in their power.

_Resolved_, That they have heard with astonishment that her
majesty's government refuse to allow this amendment to be
discussed on its merits and to be decided by the free exercise of
the judgment of members of the House of Commons, but that the
government require their supporters to refrain from such free
exercise of their judgment on the alleged ground that the
adoption of the proposal would endanger the Franchise bill.

_Resolved_, That in the opinion of this meeting the exercise of
such pressure appears to be an infringement of the privileges of
a free parliament and an aggression on the rights of the people.
They hold that all sections of the community, whether electors or
non-electors, have an indefeasible right to have matters
affecting their interests submitted to the unbiased judgment, and
decided by the unfettered discretion of the members sent to
represent them in parliament.

_Resolved_, That a declaration signed by 110 Liberal members of
the House of Commons was presented last session to Mr. Gladstone
which set forth that, in the opinion of the memorialists, no
measure for the assimilation of the borough and county franchise
could be satisfactory unless it contained provisions for
extending the suffrage, without distinction of sex, to all
persons who possess the statutory qualifications for the
parliamentary franchise.

_Resolved_, That this meeting calls upon those who signed this