BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

152
The Women's Liberal Association, like the Liberal party it
represented, distinguished itself from the Primrose League, both
through its moral character and the restricted fields of expression
open to its largely middle class representatives.
In describing these
activities, Mrs. Buckley unintentionally reveals the limited scope of
endeavors.
As to the work women could do and the question in
which they were interested, . . . they were interested
in seeing that the men who were sent to the Town
Councils were upright and honourable men; and, from a
domestic point of view, they were quite as much inter­
ested as men in having a good supply of pure water to
aid them in the performance of their domestic duties,
and it was quite as much their duty to see that the
town was rightly and properly governed as it was
In mapping out the proper sphere of Liberal Women's activities,
Mrs. Buckley never quite managed to leave the confines of the domestic
realm.
Citing the efforts of women in Ashton who were credited with
having brought a Liberal victory to pass, she extols their achievements
against a backwash of Liberal
(male) opposition.
That was one advantage gained, especially as the men
were so strongly against them taking part whatever in
political affairs. Women could render service in many
ways that men would not think of, and during [the] last
election some of the lady workers stopped to wash up­
(laughter)-or look after the baking-(laughter)-or tend
the baby-(renewed laughter)-while the mothers went and
gave their municipal vote; so that women could render
valuable help in a constituency.45
44
45
Ibid.
Ibid.