Part 6 (1/2)

I have left allish visit all ained valuable information in corroboration of the Baconian authorshi+p In soest that Shakspeare did not write the plays and poe them As a Baconian I received an invitation to a picnic at the beautiful country house of Mr Edwin Lawrence, hom I had a pleasant talk The house was built on a part of a royal forest, in which firs and pines were planted at the tiot froland had to trust to her own hearts of oak and her own growth of pine for masts and planks Mr Lawrence had written pamphlets and essays on the Baconian theory, and I foundunder his intelligent talk His wife's father (J Benjaht Cobden the ethics of free trade It was through the kind liberality of Miss Florence Davenport Hill that a pa at River House, Chelsea, was printed and circulated When I visited Miss Hill and her sister and found theer for social and political reform as they had been 29 years earlier, I had another proof of the eternal youth which large and high interests keep within us in spite of advancing years Miss Davenport Hill had been a member of the London School Board for 15 years, and was reelected after I left England Years of her life had been devoted to work for the children of the State, and she was a member of the Board of Guardians for the populous union of St Pancras Everyone acknowledged the great good that the admission of women to those boards had done I spent a pleasant time at Toynbee Hall, a University centre, in the poorest part of London, founded by men Canon and Mrs Barrett were intensely interested in South Australian work for State children

Similar University centres which I visited in Araduates Mrs Fawcett I met several tie was granted to the woratulation from Dr Helen Blackburn, one of the first woree Nowadays women doctors are accepted as part of our daily life, and it is to these brave pioneers of the women's cause, Drs Elizabeth Blackwell, Helen Rackburn, Garrett Anderson, and other like noble souls, that the social and political prestige of wo world It only remains now for a feoifted with the power of public speaking, to gain another and important step for the womanhood of the world in the direction of econoratified at receiving a cheque frolish proportionalists, to help ift of the kind I had received, for my friends in San Francisco had already helped me financially on my way to reform Socially I liked the atland, but politically England was infinitely more advanced Steadily and surely a safer de in the old country than in the Transatlantic Republic I left England at the end of September, 1894

My intended visit to Paris was cancelled through the death a short time before of the only friend I wished to ht through to Bale I made a detour to Zurich, where I hoped to see people interested in proportional representation who could speak English An interesting felloorker in the cause was Herr Karl Burkli, to who with ballots The oldest advocate of proportional representation on the Continent, M Ernest Naville, I met at Geneva In that tiny republic in the heart of Europe, which is the ho already established in four cantons, and the effect in these cantons had been so good (said Ernest Naville) ”that it is only a matter of time to see all the Swiss cantons and the Swiss Federation adopt it” In Zurich Herr Burkli was delighted that they had introduced progressive taxation into the canton, but the effect had been to drive away the wealthy people who caressive taxation has not by anywhich so many of its advocates claim it to be In New Zealand, we are told, on the best authority, that land monopoly and land jobbery were never so raressive land tax One wondered how the three million Swiss people lived on their little territory, so much occupied by barren mountain, and lakes which supply only a few fish My Zurich friends toldindustry and exceptional thrift, but others said that the foreign visitors who go to the recreation ground of Europe circulate so much money that instead of the prayer ”Give us this day our daily bread” the Swiss people ask, ”Send us this day one foreigner”

In Italy I saw the rounds or deer parks for the wealthy The whole country looked like a garden with trellised vines and laden trees Italian as grown, principally for home consumption, and that was immense Prohibitionists would speak to deaf ears there Wine was not a luxury, but a necessity of life It o down reater abundance of fruit and wine that caused the Italian poorer classes to look healthier than the Gerar to the British consumer, the people paid 6d a lb for the little they could afford to use; and in Italy it was nearly 8d--a source of revenue to the Governments, but prohibitive to the poor There were no sweet shops in Italy England only could afford such luxuries I visited at Siena a home for deaf mutes, and found that each child had wine at two of its daily ht-red wine of the country, with little alcohol in it; but those arn us against looking on the hen it is red will be shocked to hear of these little ones drinking it like milk Those, however, who live in Italy say that not once a year do they see any one drunk in the streets

I reached South Australia on December 12, 1894, after an absence of 20in the balance

It had apparently come with a rush--as unexpected as it elcome to those whose strenuous exertions at last seeh syarded as a weakkneed sister by the real workers I had failed to see the advantage of having a vote that ht leave me after an election a disfranchised voter, instead of an unenfranchised woislative Council when they really mean that they are unenfranchised You can scarcely be disfranchised if you have never been enfranchised; and I have regarded the enfranchisement of the people on the roll asnew names to the rolls This would only tend to increase the disproportion between the representative and the represented But I rejoiced when the Woe Bill was carried, for I believe that woht reater extent than was ever expected of the the week I was accorded a welcome home in the old Academy of Music, Rundle street, where I listened with eiu it is, Miss Spence, that you have only one idea,” a gentleman once said toconcerningBut at this welcome home I felt that others realized what I had often saidlife better, wiser, and pleasanter all of which effective voting will aid--that I seem so absorbed in the one reforive for what they are worth--for discussion, for acceptance or rejection My opinions on equitable representation I hold absolutely, subject to criticisnable as to principle

CHAPTER XIX

PROGRESS OF EFFECTIVE VOTING

My journalistic work after ular nor so profitable as before I left Adelaide The bank failures had affectedbut rosy in the year 1895 There was, however, plenty of public work open to ave in various parts of the State on effective voting, I became a member of the Hospital Coston Government to enquire into the trouble at the Adelaide Hospital That same year saw a decided step taken in connection with effective voting, and in July a league was formed, which has been in existence ever since I was appointed the first President, my brother John became secretary pro tem, and Mr A

W Piper the first treasurer I felt at last that the refor definite shape, and looked hopefully to its future The following year was especially interesting to the woists all over the world, for at the general election of 1896 woht to vote

New Zealand had preceded us with this reform, but the first election in this State found many women voters fairly well equipped to accept their responsibilities as citizens of the State But in the full realization by the majority of women of their whole duties of citizenshi+p I have been distinctly disappointed Not that they have been on the whole less patriotic and less zealous than men voters; but, like their brothers, they have allowed their interest in public affairs to stop short at the act of voting, as if the right to vote were the beginning and the end of political life There has been too great a tendency on the part of women to allow reform work--particularly women's branches of it--to be done by a few disinterested and public-spirited women Not only is the home the centre of woman's sphere, as it should be, but in too er social life has been ignored, and women have consequently failed to have the effect on public life of which their political privilege is capable

At the close of a second lecturing tour through the State, during which I visited and spoke at e settlements, I received an invitation fro at the residence of Miss Sutherland, Clark street, Norwood

The occasion was my seventy-first birthday, and my friends had chosen that day (October 31, 1896) to mark their appreciation of my public services There were about 30 of theby reason of their zealous care for the welfare of the State Their President (Mrs C Proud) presented , orna my name, the date of the presentation, and the name of the cause for which I stood

Fro has been the inseparable cos, and a constant reminder of the many kind friends ith me, had realized that ”love of country is one of the loftiest virtues which the Alhty has planted in the human heart” That association was the first in South Australia to place effective voting on its platforan before the close of the year A disfranchised voter at her first election, she was driven farther afield than the present inadequate syste to look for a just electoral , and from that ti was appointed the first honorary secretary of the league January of the same year found us stirred to action by the success of Sir Edward Braddon's first Bill for proportional representation in Tash limited in its application to the two chief cities of the island State, the experie publicin the Co-operative Hall in January, and carried a resolution protesting against the use of the block vote for the Federal Convention elections A deputation to the acting Preed for the nextBut ere disappointed in the result of ourAct distinctly provided for every elector having 10 votes, and effective voting raphed to the Hon C C

Kingston when the Enabling Act was being drafted to beg hi as the basis of election; but he did not see it then, nor did he ever see it In spite, however, of the short sightedness of party leaders, events began to move quickly

Our disappointment over the ates to the Federal Convention led to estion that I should becoestion was, so reed to do so I maintained that the fundamental necessity of a democratic Constitution such as we hoped would evolve from the combined efforts of the ablest men in the Australian States was a just system of representation and it was as the advocate of effective voting that I took my stand My personal observation in the United States and Canada had iers inseparable froislatures by local majorities--sometimes by minorities--where money and influence could be employed, particularly where a line in a tariff spelt a fortune to a section of the people, in thevote Parties th and their coth under the present syste as its weakest link, discordant or discontented er a party is in the Legislature the more is expected from it by every little section of voters to who force of responsibility which reatest discontent a impatient followers of the rank and file, and where a few votes eneral election a Govern to the deeneral taxpayer or sub to a Ministerial defeat

As much as wea truly democratic ideal A State in a pure democracy draws no nice and invidious distinctions betweeneither property, education, talent, or virtue

She conceives that all alike have an interest in good governe and untainted by criht to their share in the representation She allows education to exert its legitih the press; talent in every departes; virtue and religion to influence public opinion and the public conscience But she views all htly so, if the equality is to be as real in operation as in theory

If the equality is actual in the representation of the citizens--truth and virtue, being stronger than error and vice, and wisdoreater than folly, when a fair field is offered--the higher qualities subdue the lower and make themselves felt in every department of the State But if the representation from defective machinery is not equal, the balance is overthrown, and neither education, talent, nor virtue can work through public opinion so as to have any beneficial influence on politics We know that in despotisarchies, where the uish the ht is crushed down, talent is bribed to do service to tyranny, education is confined to a privileged class and denied to the people, property is soed and so its field andsubservience appear to be patience and loyalty, and religion is not unfrequently made the handmaid of oppression Taxes fall heavily on the poor for the benefit of the rich, and the only check proceeds from the fear of rebellion When, on the other hand, the uishes the minority, the evil effects are not so apparent The body oppressed is ses to draw off attention from the political injustice under which they suffer; but there is the sae is rare, talent is perverted, genius is overlooked, education is general, but superficial, and press and Pulpit often tie standard of virtue is all that is aireat fear of falling below the average Therefore it is incumbent on all States to look well to it that their representative systeive, for until that is done de a new constitution the opportunity arose for laying the foundation of just representation, and, had I been elected, iven to the claims of the whole people to electoral justice But the 7,500 votes which I received left ston not asserted both publicly and privately that, if elected, I could not constitutionally take ht have done better There were rumours even that my nomination paper would be rejected But to obviate this, Mrs Young, who got it filled in, was careful to see that no naht there, and its presentation was delayed till five minutes before the hour of noon, in order that no ti on the declaration of the poll I cull this item of news--”Several unexpected candidates were announced, but the only nomination which evoked any expressions of approval was that of Miss Spence” I was the first woman in Australia to seek election in a political contest From the two main party lists I was, of course, excluded, but in the list of the ”10 best anization my name appeared When the list was taken to the printer--who, I think, happened to be the late Federalof the ”10 best ested that my name should be dropped, and a man's put in its place ”You can't say Miss Spence is one of the '10 best men' Take her name out” ”Not say she's one of the '10 best anizer objected, ”Why she's the best man of the lot” I had not expected to be elected, but I did expect that , and I aed a deputation to Mr Kingston, to beg him to use his influence for the adoption of the principle in time for the first Federal elections We foresaw, and prophesied what has actually occurred--the monopoly of representation by one party in the Senate, and the consequent disfranchisehout the Coston declined to see the writing on the wall The Hon D M Charleston was successful in carrying through the Legislative Council a motion in favour of its application to Federal elections, but Mr Wynn in the Lower House had a harder row to hoe, and a division was never taken

Mrs Young and I spent a pleasant evening at Government House in July of the same year, as Sir Fowell and Lady Buxton had expressed a desire to understand the systee house party, several proreatly interested On leaving at 11 o'clock we found the gate closed against us, as the porter was evidently unaware that visitors were being entertained We were anation of the London-bred butler, who, on co to our rescue, cried with a perfect cockney accent, ”Gyte, gyte, yer don't lock gytes till visitors is off” This was a memorable year in the annals of our cause, for on his election to fill an extraordinary vacancy for North Adelaide Mr Glynn pro into the House This he did in July by tabling a motion for the adoption of the principle, and ere pleased to find in Mr Batchelor, now the Minister for External Affairs in the Federal Govern the many politicians who have blown hot and cold on the reform as occasion arose, Mr Batchelor has steadily and consistently remained a supporter of what he terms ”the only syste and I began our work together the question was frequently asked o? The ansas simple There were few men with leisure in South Australia, and, if there were, the leisured man was scarcely likely to take up reform work When I first seized hold of this reform women as platform speakers were unheard of Indeed, the prejudice was so strong against woh I wrote the letters to The Melbourne Argus it was my brother John as nominally the correspondent So for 30 years I wrote anonymously to the press on this subject I waited for some man to come forward and do the platfor for the co man, but often he doesn't come at all; and oftener still, when he does coreat deal better without him In this case he did not come at all, and I started to do the work lehanded in the cause, Mrs Young joined ainst inequitable representation For many years, however, the cause has counted to its credit men speakers and demonstrators of ability and talent all over the State, who are carrying the gospel of representative reform into every camp, both friendly and hostile

It was said of Gibbon when his autobiography was published that he did not know the difference between hiht that the saard to effective voting; but association with a reform for half a century sometimes makes it difficult to separate the interests of the person fro on er part than ever in my life I had come back cheered by the earnestness and enthusiasm of American reformers, and I found the people of my adopted countryParties had become more clearly defined, and the results of our syste to tell, I think, in the increased interest taken by individuals as well as by societies in social and econo people everywhere, in every mode of life, and in every class of society My friends soence by the interest they took in effective voting; but, although this may have been true to a certain extent, it was not wholly correct Certainly I felt more drawn to effective voters, but there are friendshi+ps I value highly into which my special reform work never enters Just as the rowth of theelse in the world, sochapters of this narrative bear the imprint of its influence

CHAPTER XX

WIDENING INTERESTS