Norwich bulletin., 1914-02-17
MADE STRONG ARGUMENT
 FOR VOTES FOR WOMEN.
Miss Helen Todd Won Converts to the Cause at Equal Franchise League Meeting.

The Norwich Club house was filled on Monday afternoon and the audience were we'll repaid for venturing out in the storm to the meeting under the auspices of the Norwich Equal Fran Chise league. Miss Helen Todd of Cal ifornia and Chicago, proved an elo- quent and fascinating speaker and won many new converts to the suffrage cause. The local league was congrat- ulated upon securing such a charming and able speaker.
 Dr. Esther B. Woodward, who is a member of the staff at the Norwich State hospital and the vice-president and introduced the speaker, as Mrs. William A. Norton, the president, was prevented by illness from attending, to the great regret of all.
 Worker in California Campaign. Miss Todd is one of the 100000 wo- men voters of California and one of those who worked in the campaign three years ago to make that a suf- frage state. She said her value lay in the fact that she was a voter and that this is the contribution of the western woman to the eastern to show what the vote has done.
 Struggle For Child Labor.
 She described vividly the struggle for the first child labor laws in Illinois. There was none in 1893 and children were working all night long in the glass factories right in front of the furnace doors where the men among them was appalling. They were working in the sweat shops down on Halsey street in conditions that would shame savages
 About this time Women's clubs were started in Chicago in spite of much
 
 conservatives who always oppose any thing new and who declared the clubs would ruin the home. These club wo- men took up the children's cause and sent monstrous petition to the legis- lature, but the manufacturers associa- ton came to fight them and as the women had only indirect influence, an indiffinite substance like radiun and thing no man wants but thinks that every woman ought to haVe they lost. Don't every try indirect influence on a legislature.
 Factory Inspector in Illinois.
 Miss Todd then told of her own ex- perience for six years as factory in spector in Illinois. It was the experi- see the need of woman suffrage.
 Miss Todd went back to her native state of California for the campaign because she felt she must help some one to get the suffrage. Women love their children as no man ever can and suffer for them as no man can, and they must have a vote in order 10 protect these children as the men do not.
 Men Who Oppose.
 There are three types of man who oppose equal suffrage-the man who looks upon woman as an ornament, the illiterate man who thinks of her as a z1 Q aY71 1v0t YonIfffrfo., OH fad with the saloon and vice. Men who believe in women will vote yes and the rank and file in California said if my wife or mother or daughter isn't good enough to vote 1 don't know any man who is- And the women had faith in the men that they would give it to them. To have lost this faith would have been the greatest loss California could have had. After the vote was won they formed a. Wonnan's alliance which stood for the conservation of human life.
 Legislative Measures.
 They got through the legislature the motherhood pension, living wage law which really is effective a red light injunction and abatement bill, a child labor law, d teachers pension and equal pay law and an equal guardian ship law. This last was passed in ten minutes. while 1t took 25 years in Illi- nois, where women had no vote. And
 
 of their women voters and many homes arc even happier because of the added community of interests
 After the address afternoon tea was served in the reading room. Mrs. George n Colt Dr. Esther Woodward. Miss Harriet G. Cross and Mrs. Will liam B, Birge presided at the two ta- bles prettily decorated in the league colors. They were assisted by Mrs. Edson F. Gallapdet, Miss Louise o. Howe. Mrs. Willis Austin, the Misses Richards, Mrs. Lucius Briggs, Mrs. Grosvenor Ely, Mrs. Herbert R. Branche, Mrs. J. Eldred Brown. Mrs. J. Dana Colt. Mrs. John l.. Mitchell, Miss Louise E. Meech, Miss Faith R. Leayens, Miss Harriet R. Trumbuli. Mrs. John P. Huntington, Mrs. Archi- bald Gilchrist, Miss E. w. Avery. The ushers were Miss Katherine BecKley. Miss Winifred Welles, Miss Sarah Loring. and Miss Amanda Hall.
 The many passengeFs .en the trolley