The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-03-05

who would enforce laws If we should
ever make them. We know that our
ballots would be blank cartrid ges.''
Miss Dorman strongly denied that
the working woman or the old maid
two types of women which she said
she represented. had any need for the
vote.
In regard to old maids, which she
termed by-products Of the big So
ctal machine, Miss Dorman said
they like the working women, would
be beaten before they started to
thep oils, from their few numbers.
OF the women 20 years OF age and
over In the United states, only 1875
per cent being s'unappropriated
blessin gs," OF the women 80 years
Of age and over only 10 per cent.
being single, while of women SIS
years and over, she said only 6 per
cent. were unwed. Miss Borrnan said
these figures proved that this is q.
married Woman's country and that
80 per cent. of the women live under
the marriage contract which presup-
poses that the economic interests Of
man and wife are one. That this 80
per cent of women can only vote
either like their husbands or against
them, and If with them there are
twice as many to count, while against
him. it disenfranchises him. tying his
hands, were other points made by
Miss Dorman, who said the interests
of women were safe in the hands of
their husbands. fathers. sons and
brothers.
Mrs T. N. Hepburn, suffrage state
president, took up the reibuttaI, fol-
lowed by Mrs. M. Toscan Emmett Of
Hartford; Mrs. Carlos stoddard and
Mrs Arnold Gese1 of New Haven.
In answer to Palmerss speech, Mrs.
Hepburn said that the last time she
had seen Palmer was when he. as a.
member of the Democratic state CEN
trial committee, was trying to per-
sllade the Democrats of the Assem-
bly, not to stand by their party plat
form pledge for suffrage. She had
reminded him, she said, fof their
what difference does that make? We
all know THAT a party platform is
merely an advertisement to catch
votes
Continuing she said that. in spite Of
what the antis had said, she could
assure the legislators that from her
point Of view they were by far the
most Important persons in the state;
that there was strong legal opinion
that the constitution permitted an ap-
peal to popular vote on any question
where there seemed to be a demand
for such expression of opinion; and
that the figures in regard to referen-
dunn voting were correct as claimed
by the sufragists in that a percentage
only of the persons who voted at the
last election were required for such a
vote.
Miss Lucy ]. Price took up the re-
butta1 in so efficient and clever a.
manner that made impression on suf-
fragists and antis alike.
fsThat constitution provides that
you can submit to the voters only
such amendments to the constitution
THAT is the very phrase used there.
That is the condition under which
your constituents sent you mere. In
the words of Burke, they elected
your judgment to act for them
Every speaker, but one, yesterday
urged you to overthrow the consti-
tuition, to disregard the trust placed
in you by those whose votes were cast
for you, and to submit this to the
voters whether you personally be-
Heve in the measure or not. Gen
t1enen,'' Miss Price continued, inn
your rights, you are betraying your
trust, if you do that You were told
that IF this were an initiative, and
referendum state there would be
sIffragfsts to insure such an election.
This is a mistake. The names offer
ed are only g, little over per cent of
the adult population Of the state.
And no state allows an initiative cleo
ton on such a small number. More
| over, the exact point is this. This is
not initiative and referendum
state. If Connecticut wanted to do
away with the power OF the 1egts1a-
tors and their responsibility toward
the measures they must consider, it
would have adopted the initiative. The
very fact that it has not done so is
proof that your state still demands
of you that you decide these questions
according to your own Judgment and
send for popular vote only those of
which you approve
"a tempest in a tea pot was what
Mr.. Palmer termed the suffrage