The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-02-14
THE STATES LEGISLATORS.
IT WAS 4 GREAT DAY FOR THE
 LADIES


 Lobby Bill-senator Johnson's Bill For New Haven Measures, Etc.
 Hartford, Feb. 13.-This has been great day for the strong minded women of the state. They owned the state cap itol for the time. They were accorded all the honors possible under the cir cumstances, and no person gainsaid their supremacy. They came from all over the state, and took possession of the desks and seats of members of the house just as they will when elected to this branch of the general assembly. The speakers tried to tangle up the genial house chairman, Representative Gum of Milford, but did not succeed.
 There were several hundred women present at 10:30, when the hearing on several bills began before the committee on Woman's' suffrage, and many sat on the steps leading up the inclined plat form to the members seats. Several hundred men crowded Into the corri- dors and remained standing. The com mittee occupied seats in front of the NfSNAASA D oSotNJ 6iNAlo NH NAAN 'eNSN the women speakers, and then several women complained because the commit tee did not face the audience, which they could not do unless they remained standing a couple of hours. Mrs. Bacon of Hartford occupied Speaker Fessen- den's chair, and was really the presid- ing parsonage.
 Representative Gum began the busi- ness by reading the three pending bills. The first provides that women who have registered for school elections may vote at municipal elections. The sec ond bill provides for universal suffrage at presidential elections, and the third Gntroduced probably by some man) re- peals the bill allowing women to vote at school elections. During the debate Representative Gum stated that the committee did not care to hear any tes- timony on the latter bill as they would not vote to repeal 1t.
 The first speaker was Mrs. Bacon, who presided in the absence of Mrs. Hooker of Hartford, who is i'll. She spoke of the great disappointment ow- ing to the absence of Lady Somerset and Miss Frances E. Willard, who are i'll in Boston She said in part: "All governments derive their rights to gov ern from the consent of the governed. Are we not governed and taxed? Why should we not vote? The mothers of the race certainly are not inferior to their offspring. The legislature of '93 gave us the school suffrage. This legis- lature should go further and grant mu- nicipal suffrage. Many women have voted at the school elections. Many men said it was the entering wedge that would give us full suffrage"
 Chairman Gum inquired if the men treated the women politely at the polls.
 "Of course they do," spoke Mrs. Forbes of Hartford. T am surprised at the question. I should be ashamed of the state if they did not. A good many men don't go to the polls. We have had this right only two years. Connec- ticut is a pretty slow old state, but l am sure she will not go backward in this reform"
 Miss Yates of Maine, a woman of national reputation in this reform, made the speech of the day.
 I"The women of this country in an ag- gregate population of 15,OO0,00O are vot- ing In various. elections; they are also voting in cities of Great Britain, ln Russia and in New Zealand. In the cities of this country who are interested more in bridges in streets, the side walks, water supply and sewage than women? They are taxed; they should also vote We are told that we do not understand politics. Well, many men don't. Women should also vote at
 JIn6nr fhn Ondp of Blackstone if a man is good enough to vote woman is as we'll In Dem yer. in wards where the intelligence and morality is greatest there the larg- est number of women vote. The eX- pertinent of woman suffrage has been successful everywhere it has been tried. In Colorado 90 per cent. of the number of women voted in the last election, and only so per cent of the men. There were in round numbers only 23OO00 men in a registration of 446OOO who voted in Chicago at the lasr cleo tion.'
 In reply to one of the women who did not like the idea of MT. Gunn's repeated questioning the latter replied that if they were to get suffrage at all it would only be as the result of full and free reply to questions for informa- ton. When asked if the women wanted to sit on the jury Mrs. Bacon replied that they desired to. In Colorado three women were members of the legisla- ture.
 There were also speeches in favor by the superintendent of schools of Hartford Mrs. Warren of Collinsville, Miss Hawley of DanIbury and others. James L. Cowles of Pennington made a long speech in favor of his sisters, and said that most of them were better qual- flied to vote that he was upon graduat- ing at Yale college.
 After a session lasting over two hours the hearing was adjourned, and the women slowly vacated the house
 BUSINESS IN THE HOUSE.
 The house assembled at 12:45 and sat until nearly p. m. It was the longest session so far this term. New business was as follows:
 Petition for divorce in favor of Cath crime Moore of New Haven, whose hus- band, w. B. Moore, is in the insane asy- lum.
 Authorizing selectmen in towns where there are no police to offer $200 reward for detection of crime and employ spe-