Margaret Ashton

Margaret Ashton (19 January 1856 – 15 October 1937) was an English suffragist, local politician, pacifist and philanthropist, and the first woman city councillor for Manchester.

Quotes

• As women are still deprived from direct power to shape the destiny of this country, we must demand that our fellow men do their utmost to preserve peace and prevent the destruction of our communities. You are the only people who can prevent this crime from taking place. We are in contact with our sisters in Europe and America and we all believe that nothing can be gained from violence. We must appeal instead to reason and humanity.
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• In these days when men are making us spend all our substance and strength on winning the liberty they out to be giving us with both hands – I have no heart to subsidise men’s things at all…except just to hold my seat on the Town Council.
  • [2]
• I send you the notice of the women’s victory here – in a municipal lodging House. It is so nice, so complete, so good & simple that it ought to be a success and an example to other places- and it is such a pleasure to me to have it called by my name even though I don’t deserve it and Mrs Clark & the women guardians Cttee ought somehow to have been joined in.
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• Dear Mrs Macdonald,
  

I am so glad to hear
from you and of you even though you
are the same dear old robber!
Yes! You shall keep your bag – and
have the money for your club as long
as it really is women not men
chiefly. In these days when men
are making us spend all our substance
and strength on winning the liberty
they ought to be giving us with both
hands – I have no heart to subsidize
men’s things at all much except just
to hold my seat on the Town Council
I don’t give a P to anything that
is exclusively for men & boys –
I send you the notice of the women’s
victory here – in a municipal lodging
House. It is so nice, so complete,
so good & simple that it ought to be
a success and an example to other
places- and it is such a pleasure
to me to have it called by my name
even though I don’t deserve it and
Mrs Clark & the women guardians
Cttee (ie Committee) ought somehow to have been
joined in. You know perhaps that
That Cttee is suspended for a time. We
can’t get neither money nor candidates
while the suffrage fight goes on. Miss
Olga Hertz & I are left trustees to start
It again when we can – and Mrs
Clark has got the post of housekeeper
to Bedford College in London, where
I hope you will go & see her some day
If you have time. She was very sad
at leaving Manchester and has
been very ill of septic poisoning since
but I hope has gone to Bedford College
this last week – shall we meet
At Lincoln? I am coming
Yours always/

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