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"Afier full consideration,."" said Sir William Hearst, "I do not think this bill is either necessary or advigable at Ithe present time. (Conservative ap-- plause.) There is no demand from any quarter for this bill, and, so far as I am concerned, so far as the Gowv-- ernment are concerned. it has not been asked for by any lady in the Province. I did receive a letter from an honor-- able gentleman in the city of To-- 'x'onto, who evidently knows my hon-- 'orable friend (the Opposition leader) very well. HMe wrote to the effect that lif you do not introduce a bill of this character your opponent certain.y will introduce one, with the object of trying to curry favor with the ladies. and with all the blandishments and sophistry of which he is a past mas-- ter he will try and gain political ac-- |vantage thereby, (Applause:) I am [ sure the women of OQntario will not be 'influenced in the slightest by what is clearly an attempt by my honorable L'r'riend at the present time to gain po-- tical advantage, My experience hes been that the ladies» are preity shrewd, and that they are able to see through a man just as quickly as janyone else. (Applause.) They are quite able to tell when a man is try-- 'ing to be gallant by doing something \ which he thinks will please them.'" iNo Mandate is Premior's Contention. "In short, there is no demand tor this bill at present. We have alread w "If we pass the bill we will simplyv be putting useless legislation on the statute books," said the Premter., "| am not arguing against the principle of the bill. This Legislature has a year or a year and a half yet to live and no harm can be done by waiting until we see what the attitude of the women and public opinion is with re-- ference to this whole question. The Premier continued that the Government had gone as far in giving women the yote as the ladies expected or desired the Government to go:; In-- deed, they had gone farther than a great many of the ladies of the Pro-- vince thought necessary at the prescent. time. Mr. Racine t] collected -- $381 licenses in 1916. tive Assembly. Seconded by Hon. Drv. Pyne, Sir William moved to give the bill a six--months' hoist. The galler-- ies were crowded with ladies when the leaders spoke. The Premier's Statement. ~--Hon. F. Premler Hearst in the Legislature last night rejected Mr. X. W. Rowell's bill to remove the disqualification of women as candidates for the Legisia-- Opposition Leader Argued for Re-- moval of Existing Disqualification of Women as Candidates--Mr. saw Carter Has Hot Shot for Hearsi. VOTES DOWN ROWELL PLAN Premier Hearst Won't Have Ladies in Legislature BAR WOMEN FROM HOUSE htb di d Auch h d AAFE t G CORL:I 19150 and | $618,471 in Mr. Sam Carter (South Wellington) regsented the Premier's gibe at the leader of the Opposition doing these things to catch votes. "I tell -- you this," cried the South Woellington man: "Your crowd ducked when you had to go to the people, but this man (Mr. Rowell) went to the people on the liquor traffic, knowing that every liquor man would be with you. You dare not go back to the people with your conduct, with your three--fifths clause, and the other conditions, There never has been in this Provincse for thirty years such a combination which has corrupted and damned .poli-- tics as the combination of the machine in every constituency' which joined with the liquor traffic. There should be a little meeknegss on your side. --In view of these things, I don't like your charge against the leader of ~,;y,. effected a great constitutional change {without dny mandate from the peo-- (ple."' The women would have an '"arduous task getting started right as voters, and he was convinced that they would prefer to advance surely rather than swiftly. Bill Gets Traditional Hoist. Mr. Rowell alluded to the success of women on the School Boards and Councils in Britain, and stated that in Australia the same constitution which set forth equality of franchise also gave the right to women to . be candidates for election both in the Commonwealth Parliament and in the Senate of Australia.. * Mr. Rowell pointed 'out & that .-- in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia women stand on an absolute equality with men, and urg-- ed that Ontario, in giving them the right to vote, should also extend to them the right to-- become candidateos for the Legislature. '"'Let us have an act that is as broad, comprehensive, generous and just as the acts passed in the western Provinces." If elected to the Legislature he was sure women would contribute to the wise solution of many problems with which the House had to deal, and the House would not suffer in dignity or useful-- ness by allowing women to sit as members, f Hot Shot for Hearst. that any voter may be a candidate for this:Assembly. The whole oblect of tlir bill which T have before the House is im order that we in this Provinee may continue the principle which has been recognized for years----to give to any vyoter under the new conditions the same' right as the voters had under the old conditions." Women Trustees and Councillors, a member of this House. Now that we have enlarged the franchise and included. its the Class of> electors ~a large section of the electorate -- not hitherto inciuded, I submit we should not change the principle. This Legis-- lature should continue to recognize the principle embodied i1 our legislation that any voter may be a candidate for Niv,. Rowell, in moving the second reading of his bill to remove the dis-- qualification of women as candidates for' the Legislative Assombly, argued that as the House had decided that sex would no longer be a disqualifi-- cation in the matter of voting, the only logical and proper thing to do is also to remove the disqualification of sex contained in the act which de-- prives the women from being candi-- dates for the Legislature. "We have recognized for many years in this Province," ~said the Opposition lead-- er, "that any clector can be elected In conclusion, the Premier moved, seconded by Dr. Pyue. "that this bill be not now read a second time, but that it be read a scecond time this day six months." Mr, Rowell's Position,. *'The maiter is receiving the at-- tention of the Government, and 1 think we have gone as far this ses-- sion as we are justified in going. The subject will have the consideration of the Government. as every maltor peortaining to the welifare and inter-- ests 'of the Province will have. Just as we have done in other matters, just as we have done in other legis-- lation, I am confident that we will not 'only do the right thing but we will do it at the right time." (Con-- servative applause.) T"ith .. _ MHAL _ every e with you. You 0 the people with your three--fifths other conditions, Ac..your of the m