Norwich bulletin., 1912-05-30
ADVOCATES EQUAL SUFFRAGE
 BEFORE NORWICH WOMEN
Miss Emily Pierscn, State Organizer, Addresses Large Gathering at Nor wich Club.


 wieh Club. At the public equal franchise meet ing at the Norwich club Wednesday afternoon the address was by Miss Emily Pierson Of Cromwell, state or ganizer. There was large assembly in the hall when Miss Pierson was in- troduced by Arthur H. Brewer.
 She spoke as follows
 Men the People.
 In the race between a present presi- dent and a past president for a future presidency we hear constant reference to demoncary. Government of the people themselves, by the people them selves, Colonel Roosevelt reiterated in New Jersey, 'fs the all important issue of this campaign" What he really meant was: Government of all of the people, by all of us men, but we will leave that point aside for the moment. Colonel Roosevelt Is not the only man who considers men "the people,"
 The idea of democracy did not come as a wild goose flight of fancy, but as the climax of long historical develop ment. From the rule of king, abso- lute, to the rule of a bing, limited by the voice of a few, the idea has grown and in the long development the people came little by little, class by class. to ask a vote a voice in the conduct of the government affairs under which they had to live. Although the actual conduct of affairs became more and more specialized by experts in differ ent lines the foundation of the gov ernment in the voices of those who controlled 1t became broader and broader. all men came to have a voice in the government
 What Need of Votes for Women?
 Now what is the need of votes for women? Anyone can see that as adult human beings they should be asked what they want done by the govern ment under which they have to live and die. but only within d few years is the public beginning to grasp the momentous consequences to society of their not being asked, of their being left as great group in society with out votes.
 Woman a Home Specialist. Woman's place Is naturally the home and around 1t her interests cluster. Its work Is her specialized knowledge. Pure food, sanitary and adequate cloth l ing, healthy morals, little children, young girls and boys, these are the !
 The factory system has taken wom- | ans work out of her hands Her food is prepared not in the home but in 1 bakery, cannery and stockyard; her clothes are woven in the mill and made in sweatshop and factory loft; they are even washed in the laundry: her sick are cared for in the hospitals, and her children live their lives more and more in the school and public play ground All these matters must be controlled by law, and the shocking revelations of impure food, child labor | infected clothing, immoral resorts and white slave traffic show how badly women's interests are cared for today There is no escaping it. We are building up wonderful business | prosperity, but homes and human life woman's especial charges, are not ade- | quately protected.
 Why Little Interest in Politics.
 Women are sometimes charged with having little interest in politics. And a good reason why. Women not being among the voters. politics are not made interesting to them. There is no wom- an constituency in the east for Presi- dent Taft and Colonel Roosevelt tc consider In California President Taft with body of voting mothers present in mind claimed as one of the achieve 1 ments of his term of office the estab- lshment of childrens bureau and the appointment of a woman, Miss Julia | Lathrop, as head of it.
 Losses Through Woman's Unenfran
 chisement
 The injury to our whole people ol leaving our women out in this scheme or democracy can only be suggested We all suffer when women's interests are not made the vital concern of ouI law makers. We must have homes and children adequately cared for oI our business prosperity will be a cas-. tic built on the sand
 A further bad result of women's un. enfranchisement is the lack of a feel ing of responsibility. Women ofter Say today they do not want to vote they do not want the responsibility What they are saying Is that they dC not want voice in saying what tht government shall do about impure food, dirty streets, unsafe tenements contagious diseases. immoral resorts the white slave traffic itself
 No True Test Till Women Vote.
 It is cheaply popular today to say There are too many voters already Democracy has failed" etc. The pee. pie who make these statements show their lack of thought and their sligh information. The great meaning Q popular government has not dawnet On them. They dismiss this greates political experiment of history as if 1 were a light thing, failing to recogniz that its only deficit is its incomplete ness. We shall not really have triel government by the people until w shall have included our women. S lcng as we remain indifferent and ir responsible we cannot expect eVel from men today a high degree of in terest and responsibility. Much of tn indifference of good men to civic re sponsibility must be laid at our doc! This is not a wemans questions " are discussing; it is a human questio and an imperative reform.
 Progress of Civilization, It is needed directly for the pro } tectien of all these interests include under the word ''home"j it is needle indirectly fer the development of } nobler wemanhood through the be z stoWal of responsibilities, and nor l indirectly still for the production of bigger manhood and the promise C tie safest and best progress of civiliz r atien itself
 During her stay in Norwich Mis- Piersen was the guest of Mrs. Williar
 .<orton, ae Mnose invitation Mis- Piersen spoke.