Norwich bulletin., 1914-03-13

The Norwich Equal Franchise league held a meeting of particular interest on Thursday afternoon at 33O o'clock at the Buckingham Memorial, when the main topic was an answer to the ten reasons against equal suffrage given by Mrs. Goodwin when she spoke here a short time ago at an anti suffrag e meeting. These were given in short papers prepared and read by different members, each having been assigned one reason which they were to discuss in a ten minute talk from the stand point of the best authorities they could find.
 Before the arguments were taken up there was a short business meeting. The attendance was about 50.
 The vice president, Dr. Esther Woodwork called the meeting to or der shortly after 3.30 and the min utes of the last meeting were read by Miss Louise C. Howe, the secretary. They were accepted.
 The treasurer's report by Mrs. Edson F. Gallaudet, showed a balance of $199.02 the receipts of the recent food sale having been $105.
 The chairman read a notice of a meeting at the Peck library on Sat urday afternoon where a speaker is to make an address about the Con- necticut College for Women.
 The appointment of Miss Katherine Beckley as head usher for the meet ing in the town hall on Monday eve ming was made and the names of vol unteers were received for assistants.
 It was voted to name committee of three to work up interest in the pageant and state parade in Hartford on Saturday, May 2nd. No action was taken on whether the Norwich league should have a float, but the chairman said she hoped the local league would have a large representation among the paraders.
 Mrs, Goodwfn's Ten Good Argu- ments Against Suffrage were next taken up.
 The argument that the ballot is not a right was answered by Mrs. Lucius Briggs. She argued that everybody has a moral and equitable right to be consulted about things concerned with their own welfare. Mrs. Briggs crit fcised Mrs Goodwin's undemocratiC attitude in not being willing to throw suffrage open to all women and did not agree with Mrs. Goodwin's state ment that the great mass of women are not to be trusted.
 Miss Rose Trumbuli answered the argument that the fundamental as sumptons of the Suffragists are wrong She questioned Mrs. Goodwin's asser- ton that the majority of women dc not want suffrage and said that oi those who were interested at all in the question the vast majority were in favor of suffrage. Miss Trumbull said that it was not the claim of the suf- fragists that all conditions would be better under suffrage, but they wished a better weapon to work with for the things they wished to affect.
 That foreign conditions are no basis for American action was the argu- ment answered by Miss Faith Bonfoey She said that proofs for the failure of suffrage abroad were lacking. Miss BonfOey pointed out that Mrs. Good wins attitude seemed to be that ii foreign conditions reflected honor upon the suffrage cause they are to be dis regarded. but if they reflected discredit they were to be taken much to heart As an instance she showed how Mrs Goodwin took delight in emphasizing the actions of the militants in Eng land.
 Miss Katherine Beellley criticised the undemocratic attitude of Mrs. Good win and also the way Mrs. Goodwin placed emphasis upon the vote tha1 would he wielded by the negro, the i'm migrant the vicious woman and the intelligent. unscrupulous woman. The speaker produced statistics to show that figures used by Mrs Goodwin were open to much doubt. She tool up each class named to show that they were not the menace which il was claimed they would he.
 The argument about Ballot and In dustry was answered by Miss kath- erine Crocker, who claimed that Mrs Goodwin's arguments were supported by a woman of comparatively smal experience in women in industry at opposed to the experience of Jane Ad dams and other well known women ot