New Britain herald., 1916-09-20
SUFFRAGE DISPUTE
 AMONG DEMOCRATS 
 But Plank to Refer Question to
 People Stays in Platform ATTACK MADE ON 6. 0. P.


 crats Had Accomplished During 1 Short Regime at Hartford. New Haven, Sept. 20.-The resolu- l tions committee of the democratic state convention met prior to the con- vention to accept a report from it's subcommittee which sat until a. m. to formulate the blanks. Thomas L. ] Reilly offered the draft and w. R, 1 Palmer of Oxford proposed amend ment to strike out all specific refer ence to equal suffrage. Action was | delayed until more committee mem bers could be rounded up. John | Cairns of Manchester offered an amendment concerning taxation, fa- voring legislative authority for cities and towns to shift taxation on inn provements on land to the land It. self This amendment, MT. Calrns said, was along single tax lines. He argued in behalf of the amendment but it was defeated
 MT. Gallup of West Hartford moved that the platform be referred to the state ticket nominees for review and ratification. A vote was delayed to permit disposition of Palmer's mo- tion to strike out the woman suffrage plank L. w. Wilson of Bridgeport, in explaining the inclusion of the plank in the draft, said that it was recog- nized that it would be folly not to express willingness to submit the question to a referendum when the question looms so large.
 He did not believe the plank com mitted the committee to equal suffrage or would commit the party to that principle It would be dangerous to ignore the principle and the party should be willing to let the male vot- CTS say whether they want the wom- en to vote or not.
 Calls Idea Socialistic.
 MT. Palmer, in reply, said that equal suffrage was a socialist idea; that the only way to enfranchise wom- en in this state would be to amend the constitution; and that adoption of such plank would take away the right of members of the legislature to say that the constitution should be amended. He knew the plank would cost the party candidates many votes.
 A general discussion followed, sev- eral speakers declaring that the suf- frage question should be touched upon only in the preamble as dealt with by the national platform and not specifically referred to.
 A nay and aye vote was taken. The committee declined to strike out the specific reference 16 to 9. The draft was then approved. MT. Gallups motion to send the platform to the state nominees for review was taken up and the proposer argued for it, pointing out that in New Jersey the ratification of platform by nominees and the state central committee places the responsibility in a specific quarter. He believed that nominees schould have the right to review a platform and to affirm their belief in a statement of principles MT. Gal lup's motion was defeated 19 to 5. The Platform.
 The draft of the platform follows: The democratic party in Connecti- cut; in state convention assem bled, reaf11rms it's allegiance to the princi- pies of democracy as expressed in the national platform and pledges itself to seek with patriotic zeal reelection of Woodrow Wilson and Thomas R. Marshall, and of a congress devoted to democratic policies that the nation may be saved from war and that the present period of unprecedented and well distributed prosperity may be continued.
 In 191O-1912 democratic governor was elected and the democratic ad- nlnistration passed much remedial Legislation, including the workmen's compensation act a law establishing civil service and law strengthening the statute against corrupt practices. The workmen's compensation act has been judicially construed as not clearly declaring the intention of the legislature to include occupational diseases. We favor an amendment to heal this defect, to shorten the period preceding compensation and other wise to make the statute conform to the best modern practice.
 The last republican legislature de- stroyed by evil amendment the civil service law of the state and rein Ystituted the spells system. We pledge ourselves to restore the law to it's former vigOr
 During the campaign of 1912 cer- tain candidates expended great sums of money upon the theory that tie provisions of the corrupt practices act had been successfully evaded. We favor such amendments as will make a like evasion hereafter impossible. The democratic administrations of 1910 and 1912 made large appro pria- Continued On Eleventh Page).