Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/775

 WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN BRITISH COLONIES 759 the association sent a letter to all candidates and twenty-five answered that they would vote for woman suffrage if elected. In June Dr. Stowe Gullen resigned the presidency and Mrs. Denison was chosen in her place and Mrs. William Munns was elected secretary. Mrs. Denison, who was an ardent suf- fragist, an indefatigable worker and a fine organizer, edited a page in the Toronto Sunday World each week devoted to woman suffrage, which was of immeasurable value. She repre- sented the association at the meetings of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in Copenhagen in 1906 and in Budapest in 1913. This last year she organized a delegation and went with them to take part in the suffrage parade in Washington, D. C, March 3. In 1912 three suffrage bills were introduced. A resolution was moved by Mr. Marshall, Liberal, from Lincoln, seconded by Mr. Bowman, Liberal whip, but no bill was passed. Bills were pre- sented every year only to be voted down by the Conservative Government. N. W. Rowell, the Liberal leader, pledged the support of his party in a non-partisan measure but in vain. In 1912 Mrs. Denison secured for a deputation an interview with Sir Robert L. Borden, Prime Minister of Canada, to ask that the Dominion Parliament should grant a national franchise to women. He stated the difficulties in the way, as the Election Act provided that the Provincial lists of voters were in force for the election of the members of the Dominion Parliament and if the Provinces did not first grant the suffrage to women the cost and work would be required of preparing new lists of the women voters. He said that each Province must enfranchise its women before the Federal Government could act and no Province had done so at this time. In 1914 Dr. Gordon, president of the Toronto Suffrage Society, organized an influential deputation from its members which asked the city council to submit to the voters at the approaching local ion the question of extending to married women the Munici- pal franchise now possessed by widows and spinsters simply to tain their opinion. This was done and the measure was carried by a majority of i.vT'.v During 1914, 1915 and i<)K> Dr. Gordon sent a letter in the councils of the other cities, towns, villages and rural communities asking them to hold a referendum