The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-01-29
House by Vote of 14S to GA Rejected Bill Providing for
Referendum and Climbs Aboard the 3;
Water Wagon
SENATE DEBATES FOR LIVELY HOUR ON THE
PROPOSITION OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE
Senator Villas of Chittenden County Brought in Bill
Giving Women Right to Vote for
Presidential Electors

Montpelier, Jan. Z9-W1th the
passage of the resolution ratifylng
the Sheppard amendment, providing
for constitutional amendment to have
national prohibition, the Vermont
Legislature can now turn it atten-
ton to the speeding up process. The
House yesterday afternoon by vote
of 148 to GA rejected the bill provid-
ing for a referendum to be voted up
on at the coming March election and
this morning passed the resolution.
The Senate may discuss the resolu-
ton to some extent when it reaches
that body but no amount of debate
will have any effect and it may be
relied upon to concur with the
House in adoption of the measure.
The Senate yesterday afternoon en-
gagged in lively debate for more than
an hour, woman suffrage occupying
the center Of the stage for the first
part of the afternoon and bill re-
lating to derogatory statements about
banks was the subject of discussion
during the rest of the time.
The suffrage bill, S. 8, introduced
by Senator Villas of Chittenden, Civ
ing women the right to vote for pres
ldential electors, was ordered to a
third reading by a yea and nay vote
of 10 to 9 after discussion in which
Senators Stuart of Caledonia, Root
of Bennington, Villas of Chittenden
and Maurice of Lamoille favored the
measure and Senator Carr Of Caledo-
MIA opposed. The Senators voting in
favor were Amey, Ballou, Billings,
Daniels, Hamblet, Hill, Rowland,
Jackson, Kingsley, Lewis, Morgan,
Maurice, aPyne, Rott, Schoff, Steele,
Stuart Tenney and Villas. Those op-
posed were Adams, Bates, Belknap,
Carr, Hall, Moulton, Noonan, Taylor
and Tracy.
A similar bill was passed by the
1917 Senate only to be killed in the
House but there are indications that
the House this year will regard fav-
orably such a measure so that there
is strong likelihood that the women
of Vermont will be given the oppor-
tunity Of voting for the presidential
candidates in 1920.
The disposal of the suffrage bill
gave the Senate an opportunity to
debate on whether or not the saw
ings banks of the state should be
given increased protection as regards
derogatory statements being made.
The bill in question, S. IA, introduc-
ed by Senator Howard of Washing
ton county, was quietly killed last
week after Senator Schoff of Frank
lin ha made noble effort to save
it in the absence of Senator Rowland.
Reconsideration was voted last Fri
day and yesterday it was a special
order for 2.30 o'clock. Senator
Schoff and Senator Rowland explain
ed that in many instances great harm
had been done banking institutions
by some disgruntled person making
some untrue remark in wilfull and
malicious manner which started
"run" on the bank and did it ire
parable harm. They argued that the
provision of the bill making it Grim
inal libel for such untrue statements
to be made did not do any one injus-
tice but gave the bank much needed
protection. Senator Maurice oppos-
ed the measure asserting that it was
"class" legislation and could not see
why banks should be placed in a sep
arate class and better protected that
any individual or corporation such as
a railroad. Senator Moulton of
Chittenden also opposed the measure
on the same ground The yeas and
nays were called for by Senator How
land and resulted in the bill being
passed IA tc 13.