The Arizona champion., 1885-02-21
LEGISLATIVE CORRESPONDENCE.
PRESCOTT, Feb. ao, 1885,

week in this city in matters legislative | will be prolific of much debate, par liamentary, shrewdness and sharp | practice
 ., On Friday, the I3th inst, perhaps the most important and interesting | measure of the day was the iScusSion | of the subject of the taxation of church property. Mir. Watkins, of Gila, upon whose bill the question arose, supplemented by the report of the judiciary committee, offering a substitute for the measure, awoke a latent or subdued fire in that gentle man, which marked hlm as the ableSt debator and most effective speaker on the floor of the House. Barring a few defects in the proper arrangement of words, his entire argument was lucid, logical, concise and, what IS better still, convincing and powerful, with that magnetic force which seems to be possessed by all great orators. Franklin, Porter and Purdy were very able antagonists and obstructionists, but all the sophistical reasoning and fowery adulteration indulged in by these gentlemen went down before his hurriCape-like demand for the equal taxation of all receiving protec. ton. Notwithstanding an immense opposition, the gentleman succeeded in killing the substitute bill and pass. ing his own, with the slight modified ton of exempting church property to the small amount of S2,ooo. MT. Ruggles also assisted greatly in bring ing about this result.
 Saturday afternoon the House went into committee of the whole on the bill granting suffrage to women. The auditorium of the Legislative amphi- theatre was crowded with ladies, and the "war-horse oi the HuachuCas," Gen. Wardwell, mounted his orator. cal Pegasus gallantly, and valiantly battled for 'he rights of women. His tory and logic, of very questionable character, was adduced, sin order to win the smiles and plaudits of the fair in the gallery, many of whom, judging by their youth and beauty, were not eligible to citizenship on account of age. The able gentleman from Gs2S2, Mir Watkins, again enun- ciated some of his progressive idea and eloquence, and with slight oppo sition the committee of the whole re. ported back to the House favorably on the measure, by vote of I3 to II. Your readers will rememDer that "Index" predicted in a former letter that in order to defeat the bill members would have 10 treat the mat ter more seriously. Strange as it is, our law makers are to a great extent apt to try experiments, and your scribe really feared that the franchise would be thrust on the ladies of Ari. zona unsought. But the sequel dis pelled the fear. IL was an "off" day, as one member described it. The members were paid their monthly salary, and their jubilant demonStra- tions took the form of female suffrage in the afternoon and the "tiger" and other temptations of the "giddy cap ital' in the evening.
 The fee blll will be killed in the House, at least that IS the outlook a, present, as almost herculean influences are brought to bear for its defeat.
 Blue Monday in the House, with no ladies in the gallery for the gallant members to faScinate, and considera. ble headaches and light pockets, had dampening effect on the chivalric ardor of the gentlemen of that body, for scarcely had the title of the bill been read when Col. Ruggles, oi Pinal, to the surprise of many, did not deem it sensible to pass the sui irage bill at this time. It ought to be mentioned that Sam Purdy's beau. uful tribute to woman, in opposition to the bill, was one of those little bits of effective eulogy, that, like 8 ray sunshine, gives things brighter aspect, and had much to do with tn, disaster that happened to the propo siution-for, thank heaven, Arizona will not drag down woman to the level of the politician-and all true men will protect her in her rights fJr his mott CTS sake. It would be . sad commentary on tbe men of An zona, if women needed the ballot fot X her protection.
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