The Vote (newspaper)
| Type | Newspaper |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Louisa Thomson-Price |
| Publisher | The Minerva Publishing Co., Ltd |
| Editor | Cicely Hamilton, Marion Holmes, Elizabeth O’Connor, Mary Olivia Kennedy, Charlotte Despard Annie Smith, and Florence Underwood. |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Political alignment | Suffragist |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | 1933 |
| Headquarters | London |
The Vote was a suffrage newspaper that supported the Women's Freedom League. It was published from 1909 to 1933.
History[edit]
In 1907 Emmeline Pankhurst announced that the Annual Conference of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) would be cancelled and the organisation's committee replaced by one that she would hand-pick. This led to key members of the WSPU writing to Mrs Pankhurst insisting that the constitution be honoured, and the Conference be allowed to go ahead.[1] Those members were Charlotte Despard, Edith How-Martyn, Caroline Hodgson, Alice Abadam, Teresa Billington-Greig, Marion Coates-Hansen, Irene Miller,[2] Bessie Drysdale and Maude Fitzherbert.[1] The request was refused, but the meeting went ahead on 12 October 1907 at Caxton Hall. Officers and committee members were duly elected for a new organisation. One of the group's first actions was to choose a name for the new organisation via a referendum of the branches. The name "Women's Freedom League" was announced in the Women's Franchise suffrage newspaper as the winning choice on 28 November 1907.[1]
The League then decided to publish its own newspaper, and the first edition of The Vote was published on 8 September 1909, consisting of four pages.[3] Within two months it had expanded to eight pages.[3] The main writers for The Vote were Teresa Billington-Greig and Charlotte Despard. Louisa Thomson-Price was consultant editor, and Cicely Hamilton was notionally the first editor,[3] but in practice the joint first editors were Marion Holmes and Elizabeth O'Connor.[4] Mary Olivia Kennedy was editor 1910-1911.[4] She was replaced by Charlotte Despard, in turn replaced by Annie Smith 1911-1920,[5] and Florence Underwood in 1920.[6]
After the extension of the franchise to women over the age of 21 in 1928, The Vote continued, agitating for greater equality for women.[3] However, sales fell dramatically and the newspaper only continued to be published because it was subsidized by Elizabeth Knight and Helena Normanton.[3] In 1933 Knight was injured in a road accident, dying as a result, and the newspaper folded soon thereafter.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Dare to be Free - the Women's Freedom League". LSE History. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Miss Irene Fenwick Miller / Database - Women's Suffrage Resources". www.suffrageresources.org.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Spartacus Educational: The Vote". Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Eustance, Claire Louise, Daring to be Free, DPhil Thesis, 1993: University of York, p71" (PDF). Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Eustance, Claire Louise, Daring to be Free, DPhil Thesis, 1993: University of York, p71, 75" (PDF). Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Eustance, Claire Louise, Daring to be Free, DPhil Thesis, 1993: University of York, p75" (PDF). Retrieved 12 April 2024.