more than fifteen years ought to count
for something in establishing their claim.

The session of 1880 was broken, and the dissolution of parliament
in March, the general election which followed, the change in the
government and the consequent press of public affairs, made it
impossible to bring forward any measure for the suffrage, but the
principle was most splendidly and triumphantly vindicated in the
ancient kingdom of the Isle of Man which has an independent
government dating from the time of its first colonization under the
vikings. It has in modern times its elective house which is called
the House of Keys and is equivalent to the Commons. Its Upper House
consists of the attorney-general, the clerk of the rolls, the
bishop, two judges (or deemsters) and other officials. It enacts
its own laws and imposes its own taxes, but is subject to imperial
control by requiring the sanction of the queen before any law can
come into effect. Some few years ago the franchise was felt to be
too restricted, and a movement was set on foot which culminated in
1880 in a bill to extend the franchise to every male person who was
a householder. Mr. Richard Sherwood, who five years previously had
brought forward a similar motion, moved an amendment to omit the
word "male" for the purpose of extending the franchise to women who
possessed the requisite qualification, which was carried by 16 to
3, a vote of two-thirds of the whole body of the House of Keys. It
then went before the Council which refused the franchise to female
occupiers and lodgers, though agreeing to give it to all female
owners of real estate of L4 annual value. Thus modified the bill
was sent back to the House of Keys which gave up the lodger
franchise but adhered to that for occupiers. The bill thus altered
was again sent back to the Council and again returned with a
message that the Council refused to come to an agreement. The Keys
then proposed a compromise, limiting the qualification to woman
occupiers of L20 a year. This again was refused, and the Council
were prepared to reject the bill altogether. Sooner than lose the
whole, the Keys assented, signing, however, a protest in which they
stated that they had complied simply to secure a part of a just
principle rather than lose the whole. The act was signed by the
governor, the Keys and the Council on December 21, received the
royal assent on January 5, 1881, and was immediately afterwards,
according to ancient cust