What was Clark's position on female suffrage?

Clark was a democrat who believed in equality and knew from his close relationship with his wife that women had the intelligence to participate effectively in public life. He was therefore always a strong supporter of giving the vote to women. His Constitution Act Amendment Bill 1895 contained a clause that would have given the vote to anyone whose 'board residence, and clothing and other necessaries' came to £40 or who rendered services to the value of £40. This clause included all qualified females as voters, such as women who ran businesses and supported themselves and their families, as well as those who owned property. The Bill was not passed and Clark removed the clause from the Bill in 1896. Until the end of his political career, he believed that, while women remained without a vote and a say in making the laws that affected them, Tasmanian society would remain low on the scale of 'civilisation, prosperity, and morality'.
[Dr. Stefan Petrow, School of History and Classics, University of Tasmania]