The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-02

| the sunlight.
| ask you to find that the people of
the United States have determined to
make woman a partner in the ballot.
| ask you to find this upon the evil
| dence.
| Now as to my claim that there is a
mandate from the people. ascertain
| able to anybody who cares to read it.
Six parties sought the favor of the
| people in the election of November,
1912. Four of these parties offered
to the people planks giving the ballot
| to women. None of these parties
alone received a majority of the bal
lot But the parties which promised
the ballot to women received together
a very large majority of the ballots.
These parties that promised the bal
| lot to women Were the Dem ocratic
party, the Progressive party and the
Socialist party, and the Prohibitionist
party.
The Democratic party said we
pledge ourselves to a further extern
sion of the ballot to women
The Progressive party said, tsBe-
lieving that no people can justly
claim to be a true Democracy which
denies political rights on account of
| sex, pledges itself to the task of Sc
curing equal suffrage to men and wo-
men alike"
The Socialist party said, eve favor
unrestricted and equal suffrage for
men and women
The Prohibition party said, 1--WE
favor suffrage for women upon the
same terms as men,
The Republican party alone made
no declaration in this state.
Now the Democratic party had a.
SCI votes, the Progressive party 34,-
129 votes, the Socialist party 1O,o56
votes and the Prohibition party 2,068
votes in the last election.
MI n y 0A
Those voting for the parties that
declared for women suffrage in Con-
necticut in November, were 120, 1874.
Those voting against were 1924. Ma
jority for woman suffrage, thus as
certained, 52,540.
Mr.. Speaker, I say to this house,
that it has a, clear and unmistakable
mandate from the people of this state
to put this amendment to it's passage.
that it is ordered to submit the ques-
ton to the people.
If any gentleman here, says that I
misinterpret this evidence, I invite
that gentleman to argue the question
with me before the people at a later
date, and I am willing to begin with
the very community from which that
gentleman is sent, and willing to
abide by the arbitrament of that COM
nunity in his case.
Now then, Mr.. Speaker, of all the
the ballot, the Democratic party IS
most numerously represented here,
after the Republican party. The Dem
ocratfc party is my party, and I am
jealous of it's good name. I demand
of it that it keep it's pledge to the peo-
pie of Connecticut.
I say to the Democratic members of
this house, that they are bound in
several ways to this amendment.
They are under mandate from the
people to favor it.
They are pledged in their platform
by direct promise to favor it.
They are pledged in their platform
by the initiative and referendum plank
to favor it.
There are those here who may
claim that the Democratic plank is a
piece of mockery, an unthinkab1e de-
ceit. There are gentlemen who may
claim that the Dem convention
spoke with two tongues and a double
mind upon this question.
I say mo- and if any Democrat
here says +tyes,'' I will agree to argue
the meaning of that platform pledge
before the people of Connecticut at
a later date, and in that Democrats
uents if need be, and they shall judge
between my view of that pledge and
his view.
We said, we Democrats, in the cam
paign that we were for votes for wo-f
men. The Democratic newspapers said
we were. We had advantage Of that
pledge in the friendship of the friends
of woman suffrage. am assured
by Hon. Philip Troup. editor of the
New Haven Union, that a majority of
the trainers of that plank meant it to
have exactly the meaning I say it has
We have pleaded this plank while
we sought power, and having power,
cannot in, honor repudiate our pledge.
II this pledge of votes for women
can be repudiated by the Democrats
in this house, then no pledge can be
made by any party that is worth the
paper on which it is written. and all
party pledges must hereafter be ac-
cepted as pretence and sham, and
mere traps with which to catch votes.
For my part 1 am a Democrat who
prefers party honor to party perfdy. I
shall vote to obey the people. I
shall vote to support my platform.
both that part of it which promises
votes to women and that part of it
which commits Democrats to the de-
cision of the voters by the referen-
dunn.
I demand of this house and espec-
tally of the Dem ocrats of this house,
the passage of this amendment upon
its journey to the people.
J. assert the solemnity of the collec-
tive contract. I demand obedience to
the peoples will
If that obedience be deferred, I
promise you that later we shall pay
the price. Into this state will come
Berger, DR.. Shaw and the orators of
the women, and they will accuse US of
the crime of betrayal and we shall be
ashamed and without defense. COM
mend these facts Mr.. Speaker, to the
men of this body I shall
Sf of "a