The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-18
LIQUOR LOBBY IS ATTACKED BY
 SUFFRAGE HEAD
Mrs. Hepburn Tells Legislators 'Antis'' Have Stony
 Secret Ally.
Especial to the Farmer.)

Especial to the Farmer.)
 Hartford, Feb. 1s-That the so- called liquor lobby is working with the -suffragists to defeat woman suffrage in this state, was the charge made by Mrs. Thomas N. Hepburn, president of the Connecticut Woman Suffrage ass ociation, at a luncheon to the members of the General As Sennbly yesterday. Mrs. Hepburn said the "Iiquor 1obby'' is busy at the cap itol and it's interests are in the 1n- terests of the t'antis' g campaign. About 100 members of the General Assembly were present The ex- ecutive board of the association re- ceived. assisted by Mrs. F. s. Butter worth, Miss Elise F'arnum and Miss Olive Damn, of New Haven. A very dainty lunch was served, and the popular.
 Miss AIyse Gregory said that the anti-suffragists had given out to the press statements which reported to be from the secretaries of the differ ent suffrage states in regard to whether women used the vote Miss Gregory said that the suffragists had tried to verify these statements at the state library, but that they could not be verified. .eThe fact is," Miss Gregory said, ''that in the states where women have been allowed to 
 portion asf men and in the states where they have had the vote the longest time the largest vote is cast by the women. The next speaker was Mrs. Arnold L.. Gesen of New Haven. Mrs. Ge- | sell presented the following striking dgures from California in following up Miss Gregorys statement that the women did use the vote. In 1908 before women could vote the total vote cast for president was 386,597- In 1910, before women could votes the | total vote cast for governor was 385,- 652. In 1912, after women could vote the total vote cast for president was 673,527 and in 1914 after won- en could vote, the total vote cast for governor was 92s,754-
 l Mrs. Ernest Thompson Seton said, ssEvea the women in the homes need votes now in order to do the work ! which they have done through all the I ages In the old days each family | had it's own COW and spinning wheel.
 There were no factories, the children
 had all their schooling at home.
 There were practically no public amusements, in fact life was not orr 1 ganized on the social basis that it | is today. Government now touches l women's work in hundreds of ways in which it did not touch it in the ! past. that Is why votes for women \ all classes of women. Miss Isabella
 Sanders spoke next Miss Sanders l said:
 @The great industrial change is not l the only change that has affected the position of women. The status of 1 women has changed also and if our Constitution was being made today
 women would undoubtedly be given | yotes.''
 Miss Pierson spoke next and said:
 ."The sense of justice of the average 1 man is going to give women votes just as the sense of justice of the l average man did when aroused to | the helpless position in which won-
 en found themselves gave women the l right to be educated, the right to go
 to college, the right to own property and the right to be equal guardians of their children with their father. ?
 Mrs. M Toscan Bennett, the treas urer of the association. said: stAs
 men now have the ballot in Connec-
 tieut and women have not, I feel thai
 men ought to realize it's importance to women ever more than women should Some men seem to feel thai
 they can shoulder off the responsi-
 bi1ity of this question onto the wona-
 en and say My wife wouldn't let me.
 As the Constitution puts the respon-
 sfbility of deciding this question up
 on the electors, it is the duty os
 men to make up their minds upor I 1t and then convert, if necessary, the
 women in their families. Some ot
 the best suffragists I know have beer
 converted by their husbands