William Sidney Smith

“ Sir John Hall therefore asked Mrs Sheppard, "Would your Union be content to accept the franchise for women who are ratepayers and property-holders, at first, and if they succeed in obtaining that, try for the general franchise afterwards." The question was a difficult one. In establishing manhood suffrage, the colony had declared that the claims of human beings were paramount to those of property. ”

“ But although these two years had apparently borne little Parliamentary fruit, good work had been done. In all reform work the greatest difficulty lies not in overcoming active opposition, but in arousing the apathetic. ”

“ She pointed out that as the special aim of the Franchise Department was to secure to women the right to vote on all questions of social and moral reform, the appointment of local superintendents was an imperative necessity. ”

“ The result was that the Auckland, Christchurch, Ashburton, Wellington, Rangiora, Lyttelton, Dunedin, West Taieri, Roslyn, and Invercargill Unions voted for womanhood suffrage, the Napier Union voted for the property qualification, and the Port Chalmers Union agreed to accept this latter, if womanhood suffrage were unattainable. ”