Editing Richard Seddon (section)

===Women's suffrage===
{{main|Women's suffrage in New Zealand}}
John Ballance, founder of the Liberal Party, had been a strong supporter of voting rights for women, declaring his belief in the "absolute equality of the sexes".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2b5/ballance-john|title=Story: Ballance, John|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]|date=4 June 2013|access-date=7 January 2015}}</ref> At the time women's suffrage was closely linked to the [[Temperance movement in New Zealand|temperance movement]], which sought prohibition of alcohol. As a former publican and self-styled "Champion of the Common Man" Seddon initially opposed women's suffrage. In July 1893, two months after Seddon became Premier, the second of two major [[1893 Women's Suffrage Petition|petitions for women's suffrage]] was presented to the House.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/womens-suffrage/about-the-petition|title=Women and the vote Page 7 – About the suffrage petition|publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage|date=15 May 2019|access-date=13 June 2019}}</ref>

This resulted in considerable debate within the Liberal Party. [[John Hall (New Zealand politician)|John Hall]], a former conservative premier, moved a Bill to enact women's suffrage. Seddon's opponents within the party, led by Stout (also an advocate of temperance), managed to gather enough support for the Bill to be passed despite Seddon's opposition. When Seddon realised that the passage of the bill was inevitable, he changed his position, claiming to accept the people's will. In actuality, however, he took strong measures to ensure that the [[New Zealand Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] would vote down the Bill, as it had done previously. Seddon's tactics in lobbying the council were seen by many as underhand, and two Councillors, despite opposing suffrage, voted in favour of the bill in protest. The Bill was granted [[Royal Assent]] in September.

Nonetheless, at the [[1893 New Zealand general election|1893 general election]] in November, Seddon's Liberal Party managed to increase its majority.