o women, but this expectation was not generally shared.
It was well known that strong differences of opinion existed in the
cabinet which would render it well-nigh impossible for the
government to introduce the question as one of their own; and
though there may have been disappointment, there was no great
surprise when the Franchise bill, on its introduction, was found to
contain no reference to women.

Meanwhile there had been a change in the leadership of the
movement. Mr. Hugh Mason having intimated his intention to resign
the conduct of the measure, Mr. William Woodall, member of
parliament for Stoke-on-Trent, consented to take charge of it. A
conference of friendly members of parliament was held in the House
of Commons on February 7, and it was then agreed that should the
government Franchise bill not extend to women, an amendment with
the object of including them should be moved at some stage of the
discussion in the House of Commons. Mr. Woodall agreed to take
charge of this amendment.

On February 28, Mr. Gladstone moved in the House of Commons for
leave to bring in a bill to amend the representation of the people.
The forms of the House did not admit of Mr. Woodall's amendment
being placed on the notice-paper until after the second reading of
the bill, but during the adjourned debate on the second reading he
found an opportunity to announce that he would move his proposed
clause while the House was in committee on the bill. He remarked
that the fundamental principle of the bill as it was described by
the prime minister was to give a vote to every household, but as
there was no provision for giving the franchise to such
householders if they happened to be women, he intended to propose
the insertion of a clause to remedy this omission. The clause was:

For all purposes connected with and having reference to the right
of voting in the election of members of parliament, words in the
Representation of the People acts importing the masculine gender
include women.

A careful analysis of the opinions of members of the House of
Commons gave every promise that such an amendment might be
successful. The views of 485 out of the entire number were known,
while 155 had never expressed an opinion, about one-third of these
being new members. Of those whose opinions were known, 249, or a
majority, had expressed themselves in favor of women's suffrage,
236 had expressed themselves against it. The prepon