Putnam patriot., 1913-10-31
Notes Of The llth Annual Convention
Woman's Suffrage Association

of moment not only Co the E. F. L. bu to every one who approves Of the ot jsc;s women are seeking to accom- piis
 by means of the vote. However luk' warm we may have been when we st
 for.h for Hartford Tuesday morning
 we became ardent. supporters Of th movement to gain Votes for Wome when we left for home Wednesda evening. As delegates of our yer youthful league, we were glad 10 b met at the station and welcomed wit other arriving delegates by some Of tn officers of the State Association, led b. Mrs. Thompson Seton. Arriving a headquarters. we were most cordial. received by Mrs. Hepburn, the coming president of the state association. w were very shortly seated in Unity hall listening to a summary of the year work by the president, Mrs. William T. Kinks Of Bridgeport. Among othe statistics she gave particulars Of ih, votes of the members of the Legislature from the different counties of the state Tn many counties large proportion were favorable to Woman's Suffrage while in Nindham county only three out of nineteen members voted in ia. yor
 Later we were listening to reports read by their presidents or representa- tives, from the fifty-three equal fran chise leagues and associations in the various towns and cities of the state. Some Of the reports could be heard dis ] tinctly but many would have gained audlbility by the use of a megaphone. 1 The report Of our Putnam league, one of the youngest, was received with gratifying interest.
 Of course we looked the convention over in a critical spirit, comparing the audience with those remembered in the days of susan B. Anthony, Wen dell Philips, T. W. Higginson, Julia Ward Howe, Lucy Stone, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others who led sim liar conventions in a neighboring state. Refinement and culture in the Hart ford audience of women bore the addi- tionai stamp of greater wealth and pronounced youthfuluess of the lead. CTS, while the impress of the growing ranks Of college bred women was dis unctly evident The experience wom- en have gained in their clubs WAS shown by their familiarity with parlia- mentary usages.
 At the mass meeting Tuesday even ing, Mrs. Chapman Catt held her au- dience spellbound with her authorita' tive, unanswerable arguments. Her 1 pleasing personality, and her forceful statements fortified by her worldwide experience commanded admiration and respect She asked, "Nhat is the matter with the United States2' and later, "What is the matter with Con nectieut?' where women have beer pleading for two generations for the vote; while women are voting in Nor way, Belgium, New Zealand, and in Australia. They are begging here fol what every alien male who lands or our shores has urged upon him "True,H H she said, tive have ten state, in which women may vote, but Wi should have forty-eight, were Ameri can progress true progress. Ours wal the first country in the world to giv' the vote to the working man. Bu what is it doing for the working wom an of whom there are 5000 900 in thi country? They need the ballot to con trol conditions in homes and factorie where they work Mrs. Catt declar ed that the strongest foe to equal sui frage K the liquor interest and that was defeated in Ohio only because tn liquor interest opposed Il, according 1 the open avowai the brewers associa
 ton Of thai state. The same thin had happened by the same methods il Michigan aud Oregon and were prom ised in Montana, proving that the ol position ef Hqa8r and allied interest , are the force, operating to keep wome from putting their hopes and aspit
 tons in the ballot box
 Dean sumner of Chicago tniVersit
 followed with a powerful address. II [ theme was Woman $ SeN.Loyalty. |
 set forth the facts of the liquor bus
 ness and the vice statistics, asserlir
 that only woman $ vote could contr
 the situation and enforce a single stan
 ard of morality for men and wom(
 alike.
 At the end of the meeting the del y gates assembled al the headquarters at the state association where Mrs. Ca n- and the state officers held Fecepti, o' and refreshments were served. " Wednesday morning was devoted y a "business meeting beginning wi E. informal addresses by the retiring pH 1e ident, Mrs. W T. Kinks, and othe ,f Most of the time was devoted to Ia id ing pie iges for continuing the work .ir the state association for next year. T as pledges reached the sum of over SSjtN m a convincing proof of the eanestnt K 0t the workers Tor the "cause. T sn election of officers followed The choi lp of Mrs Thomas \ Hepburn as pre. li- dent gave great pleasure to an almC
 unanimous constituency.
 
 A banquet in honor of the retiul
 officers at the Hotel Bond eomplet the successful program of the eonve
 tion.