Norwich bulletin., 1913-04-17

An address on equal suffrage from the standpoint of democracy by Rev. John H +MeliSh, pastor of Trinity Ep1S- copal church of Brooklyn, N. Y. at a mass meeting held "Wednesday evening in the Town hall, marked the conclu- sion of the weeks Votes for Women campaign in Norwich, the nine women who have been engaged in the work leaving today for weeks activity in New London. The audience filed the Town hall benches to their capacity, and almost everyone stayed until the
 conclusion of the meeting, shortly be-
 fore 10 o'clock. The equal suffrage
 workers passed through the crowd dis
 tributing literature and cards on which
 the signer expressed his sympathy and
 belief in equal suffrage
 The state organizer, Miss Emily
 Pierson of Cromwell. who has been
 leading the campaign here, called the
 meeting to order at o'clock Miss Pierson said that she wanted the peo-
 pie to enlist themselves on the side of the equal suffrage movement The list of members of the Connecticut Equal Suffrage association has grown from $50 to 13000 in two years. A year ago the largest league of the state had 8 membership of about 100. while today the largest league num- bers over 500 members. Nine states and Alaska have full suffrage. and a little common sense should suffice to convince anyone of the right and jus tice of equal suffrage every where. If equal suffrage had not been found success it would not have spread from Wyoming, where it was established in 1862 to the surrounding sta'es
 L. O. Smith as Chairman.
 Leonard o. Smith then took charge of the meeting. He expressed surprise and pleasure at the large number of mep and women present, and said he hoped that a good proportion were in favor of equal suffrage, and that the others were willing to be convinced. Most of the objections to equal suf- frage. he said, are not on basic prin- ciples. There are in my mind three questions. the answers to which decide the whole matter First do you be- 1ieve the women of the country have sufficient intelligence as a mass to be entitled to the suffrage? Intelligence is the base of every republic. Second, have the women of America sufficient courage to do right when they see it? Third, does society need the help of the women? He said he believed that again and again. but it will always come back. God grant that it may be settled right soon.
 Address by Rev. Mr. Meish.
 MT. Smith then presented Rev. MT. Melish as the princiaI speaker of the evening. Rev, Mr. Melish said he did not propose to attempt to convert any
 
 chose an anti suffrage gathering for that purpose, but that he wished his audience to consider the matter in sympathy with the principles of democracy. Along the Atlantic sea- board, he said, many have lost faith in democracy; they smile at the state ment that all men are created free and equal The speaker traced the growth of democracy with the changes which had come about through united action and the development of class con- seriousness.
 What part has woman played in these changes? She has had a most important share in the work of secur I ing voice in the government for her husband and sons, inspiring and en- coura ging them. While the men suf- fered in prison and died, the women suffered a living death. Now the wo- men are developing this class con dynamic in the whole pro- gress of democracy. There are two reasons for this feeling-higher edu- cation and economic independence. Vassar, the oldest school for the high CT education of women, has existed for but 50 years. Thus for only half a century have women had the op- portunity for education the equal of men. Two generations have had this 1 opportunity and as a result women are developing what in every class has led