Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-02-27
LEGISLATOR FOR SUFFRAGE

concerted. Mr.. Egan said he felt the
honor was undue, and then recon-
mended favorable action on the meas
ure. Mr.. Richards moved that the
ergeant-at-arms enforce the rule
prohibiting smoking, because of wom-
en- present, but no action was taken.
Matthews Opens Fire.
Then Mr.. Matthews opened fire on
the resolution and the equal suffrage
question in general and for fifteen
minutes he spoke without interrupt
ton, advancing all the well-known
arguments against equal suffrage and
laying especial emphasis on the point
that men have no right to say whether
or not women shall vote. and that in
giving women the right not only the
privilege, but the duty to vote, to
hold office and perform other duties
dependent upon the right of suffrage
would be imposed upon the majority
of women whom he did not believe
wanted 1t.
Assemhlyman Martin met with APP
plause i'm rising to support the meas
tire. and he said: THE talented
gentleman from Essex has not OPP
posed single bill in the House so
far which did not pass" The amuse-
ment this remark occasioned was
general.
Mr.. Hennessy was the next to take
UP the answer to Mr. Matthews,
saying he could not see how any man
calling himself Democrat could OPP
pose such a measure. for Democrats
should believe above all else, in popu-
lar rule. He characterized the argu-
.ments of the gentleman from Essex
as mere trivialities. and declared that
his opposition savored very much of
that of English Tories, who opposed
home rule for Ireland.
Further Mr.. Hennessy said he be-
lieved that solution of the social
evil would come. not with less, but
with more political freedom.
Leader Egan resumed his fight for
the measure, saying the members of
the Legislature should not set up
their judgment in the question as
superior to that of the people and
that the action of the lawmakers
elected by the people should not be
a gag on the electorate.
Suffrage Is Coming.
"Now is the time for the majority
here to get on the bandwagon, said
Mr.. Egan, amid a ripple of laughter.
Women suffrage viii not down; 1t
is in the air so let's get the benefit
Mr.. Richards was disposed to think
that the original occupants of the
were the Republicans,
who had advocated the granting of
the franchise to women in their
platform.
Mr. Bredenbek and Mr.. Acl1ley both
spoke in favor of the resolution. Then
Mr.. Fischer congratulated the
women on the clean campaign they
had made. and asserted that the
word militant used by Mr.. Mat
thews, was not justified.
Interrupting Mr. Matthews, who
had started TO answer in rebuttal,
Mr.. Steuerwald started a laugh byl
requesting the Essex Assemblyman to |
talk about the Germans once in a |
while, instead of referring only to the
Irish. Mr.. Nutting attempted to shut
Mr.. Matthews off by calling the at
tention of the speaker to the point |
that Mr.. Matthews had exceeded his
time limit but Speaker Taylor said
he hadn't noticed what time it was
when Mr.. Matthews started in, and
allowed him to proceed.
When Mr.. Matthews had finally
finished his rebuttal Mr.. Nutting
arose and said that If his mind had
not previously been made up on the
question it would have been by the
remarks from the gentleman from