In November
1908, the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League was founded in London.
The leaders of the Anti-Suffrage League claimed that the vast majority
of women in Britain were not interested in having the vote and that
there was a danger that a small group of organised women would force
the government to change the electoral system.
In May 1911, the House of Commons began
to discuss the possibility of granting the vote to women. On 27th
May 1911, Lady Jeannie Musgrave held a
meeting at her home at Hurst on Clays in East Grinstead to discuss
the possibility of forming a local branch of the Women's Anti-Suffrage
League. Lady Musgrave agreed to become president of the organisation
and Dorothy Bagot of Brook Cottage, East Grinstead, was elected as
secretary.
(1)
An Anti-Suffrage Society was formed in East Grinstead in May 1911.
A report of the meeting was published in the East Grinstead Observer
on 27th May 1911.
There was a large attendance
at a ‘At Home’ held at Hurst-on-Clays, East Grinstead, by
kind permission of Lady Jeannie Lucinda Musgrave on Tuesday afternoon.
Mrs. Archibald Colquhoun of the Women’s National Anti-Suffrage
League… said that women had never possessed the right to vote
for Members of Parliament in this country nor in any great country,
and although the women’s vote had been granted in one or two
smaller countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, no great empire
have given women’s a voice in running the country. Women have
not had the political experience that men had, and, on the whole,
did not want the vote, and had little knowledge of, or interest in,
politics. Politics would go on without the help of women, but the
home wouldn’t.
The speaker also stated that in a recent canvas by postcard, of the
200 odd women in East Grinstead, they found that 80 did not want the
vote, 40 did want the vote and the remainder would not sufficiently
interested in replying.Lady Musgrave, President of the East Grinstead
branch of the Anti-Suffragette League said she was strongly against
the franchise being extended to women, for she did not think it would
do any good whatsoever, and in sex interests, would do a lot of harm.
She quoted the words of Lady Jersey: "Put not this additional
burden upon us." Women were not equal to men in endurance or
nervous energy, and she thought she might say, on the whole, in intellect.
(2)
A meeting of the Anti-Suffrage Society was reported in the East
Grinstead Observer on 3rd June 1911.
There was a large attendance – chiefly of ladies – at the
Queen’s Hall on Friday afternoon, where there was a debate on
Women’s Suffrage. Mr. Charles Everard presided. Mr. Maconochie
spoke against the extension of the franchise to women. Mr. Maconochie
was opposed to suffrage because there were two many women to make
it safe. There were 1,300,000 more women than men in the country,
and he objected to the political voting power being placed in the
hands of women.
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