Litchfield enquirer., 1879-04-17
The Woman Suffrage Bills

To THE EDITOR OF THE COURANT In an editorial in your paper of March 18th, you say Of the action of the general assembly on the woman suffrage bills, that propositions for female suffrage in various forms were reported adversly by the committee on that subject, and the reports were unanimously accepted" The principal bill was the one recommended so strongly by Governor Andrews in his message, giving tax-paying women the right to vote in town and city matters. The other bills gave all women the right to vete in school districts and on the question of licensing the sale of Iiq- uOrs. The committee stood on the first tO 4, and 0n the other to 3. Senator Patton is re- ported in your paper as stating before the sen- ate that the committee were unanimous in re- iecting all the bills. 1 think your reported must have misunderstood him, but he was 80 represented. and ii has gone over the state that the committee were unanimous. It was inten- ded that minority report should be made, zni one was prepared, but before it was ready for presentation the acceptance of the ma jori- ty repsrt and the rejection of all the bills had gone through the house without debate, in the rapid manner in which matters adversely re- pOCsed are disposed of in the last days of ses- siOD- The writer did not learn of it till the next day, and then it had gone through the Senzte in the same way. The matter had at trzcted no attention in the house. The speak
 
 cate the bills was not presiding at. the time, and other Hemeers who had intended to speak for tke nils did not know of theIr rejection till the next day. It was Tuesday morning, when the house is rarely full. The writer con ferrcS with som. of the membes who favored the useas-Tc. as to getting the bills recalled, but the week was then half gone and the legis- lzfure expected to get through its business that week- and ii seemed impossible to get the mat N.-az la kha consultation with some of the members, pre- pared a paper to be signed by leading members of the house stating how they stood on the nIzIier. that if it should be claimed that the hSJEs- was strongly averse to the bills 1t might be shown that the fact was otherwise: We, the undcrSi gIed members of the general as- sembly of Connecticut, hereby declare our selves to be in favor of cOnferring upon tax paying women residing in the towns and cities Of the state the right to vote in the affairs of such towns and cities equally with men, This Wzs signed by the four members of the con- mittee whO were in tine minority. namely, MT. JOhussn of East IIaddam, Mr. FrIsbie of Farm instOn. Rev Mir. Walker of Andover and Mr. k0Eper of Wilmington. It was also signed by Nr Wright the speaker of the house. Abijah CzriIn of HarwintQn, Vincent Colyer of Darien, F. T. Barnum and Amos $. Treat of Bridge port- Mir Camp of New Britian, Mr. D. E. Warner of East Haddam, Mir. Brewster of Dznbury, (Mr. E. appending note that he wished the condition as to tax paying omitted,) Nr PiatI of Meriden, Mir. Tinker of New Lon- ds1. Mir. Gardner of Derby. and quite num- ber Of others. These names were obtained in . short time and without any attempt to get more than few leading names, number of members voluntarily adding their names On seeing the paper near them. The tax paying bill passed the house by consider able majority last year, and there IS no reason to douA that 1t wOuldhaye done So thIs year.
 Upon the proposition that none of the bills WJaId benefit the women which was stated by Senator Patton before the senate as the uIznimoIs view of the committee the writer Is yery willing tn leave the matter to the yer dict of the public. Would 1t not benefit tax p4yinz women to nave a vote upon the ques- tioa Whzt taxes shall bc laid, who shall col IecI them. and how they shall be expended? If a woman owns stock in bank or a manu- featuring company is it no benefit to her to be allowed to vote on it: And would no wrong be done her by law that should take from her the right to vote on her stock? Would it be 10 benefit to the women of a town to be al lowed to vote on the quesien whether the sale of liquor should be allowed in town? Would it be no benefit ts women to be allowed to vote on school matters and act on school con- mIttees: And if this law would be no benefit to them would it not be benefit to the schools themselves! The committee to the contrary, there is really but enc answer to this question and every person not blinded by prejudice must feel that there is but one.-H0rttord CosTaHt, Apr. 2 '79.