[n.d. but ca. 1910-13.]. Single printed sheet, 8vo, 220 x 143mm; paper a little browned, with small nick to lower right-hand margin; very good. Seemingly quite an early handbill issued by the NUWSS, encapsulating in nine neat bullet points, their arguments for voting reform. Each starting with the word ‘Because’ printed in bold, reasons include ‘only those who wear the shoe know where it pinches, and women know best what they want and what they don’t want’; ‘laws are made which specially affect women’s work and the work of their children’; ‘the vote has been given to women in some of our Colonies and has been of great use’.
We have so far located no other example, although a variant handbill dated 1913 includes very similar text, though notes their headquarters to be at 14,Great Smith Street, and was printed by The Templar Printing Works. It also notes that the President is Mrs Henry Fawcett, LL.D
The NUWSS formed in October 1897 following its proposal at a conference of all women's suffrage societies in Birmingham a year earlier. Its formation recognised the need for a structured and centralised approach to their campaign which would enable them to exert the maximum amount of pressure on the annual presentation of the parliamentary bill. Several members of the NUWSS left in 1903 to form the more radical Women's Social and Political Union, while those remaining continued campaigning peacefully through demonstrations and by putting pressure on MPs. From 1903-1910 their headquarters was located at No. 25 Victoria Street. In 1911 they moved to No. 14 Great Smith Street, where they remained until 1917. It was during this time that the NUWSS formed an alliance with the Labour Party whom at their annual conference in 1912 had passed a resolution to support women's suffrage. To strengthen the alliance, the NUWSS set up the Election Fighting Fund (EFF) which was used to support Labour candidates at by-elections. In January 1913, following the failure of proposed amendments to the Franchise and Registration Bill, the NUWSS decided to shift its focus from lobbying parliament to building support in the country.