The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-06
SUFFRAGISTS AND "ANTISu GRAPPL.E
 IN DEATH BATTLE
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(Continued from Page One.) ' ence and finally openly accused the suffrage leaders of the utmost un- fairness throughout their entire cam paign.
 Indirect accusations by inference rather than statement, made by Mrs. Hepburn in the course of her opening address. began one of the most tren- chant and sarcastic battles of yerbiage and wit that has been recorded in this city between women in many years. It was so keen that whereas the two opposing speakers were sit ting together and chatting before the onslau ght, they were uoticeab1y apart and cool at the close.
 During the course of the argument Representative William R. Palmer, of Oxford, Democratic state committee man, who was in the audience came in for a share of the suffragist lead erss ire when he was accused of ask ing questions that were direct aid to the anti-suffragist speaker. It was denied that he was more than friend of some of the anti-suffrage deIega- ton, which had come to Bridgeport from Iiftchfeld and elsewhere.
 Open accusations that the anti-suf- frage cause had received substantia support from liquor interests through out the country was denied by Mrs Goodwin, but it was said that one check received from MT. Bal1entyne, the brewer Of Newark. N. J., had been returned uncasheds That the recent cam paign in New Jersey was financed from the pockets of the antis and that only S3 was left at the close was asserted. r
 A statement by Mrs. Hepburn that writings of her opponent had been found recently in saloon windows in Ohio, brought forth argument, which AL -<0fC 1fc1 which long has had suffrage and also Colorado, had no fear of women's s domination at the polls as far as liz quor interests were concerned Upon the subject of morals and divorce sta tistics innumerable were quoted by Mrs Goodwin in the attempt to show that wherever wonnen's veto is cast there inln oraIity and divorce in hcreases On the divorce question it was shown that in Colorado there are 40 divorces to every marriage while in Connecticut, Q, nlanruled state, there are only seven to every 100 ges. The opening address. made. by Mrs. Hepburn was a beautiful appeal for suffrage. It was begun by the state 1 naent that all western states have suf- 1 frage and it was noticeable that they . are contfguos on each other, in the i inference being that if suffrage in one state was found wanting others near
  shown that women should have gov ernment, because it touches closely l upon their home interests of man to- day. Tradition and habit were. ac- 1 cused of Keeping suffrage back in the | east.
 Tn her opening address Mrs. Good l win disclosed the fact that she was going to put a crinp in the local suf- 1 frage belief. She began by giving six concrete reasons why it was not wanted She said that this is no time i for suffrage when the administration | is burdened with other matters of great import and now has any quanti- | ty of inexperienced electors. Suffrage 1 had been turned down by the thought l full men and women of many states and had been gained in small min
 ority only after long battles and re- i peated vote.
 1 There are too many unveiled ma | tionaEties whose voters are now a