Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-02-13
SHALL THE WOMEN
PAY POLL TAX?
An Amendment to House Bill
Appears Providing that WO-
men May Pay Poll Tax and be
Listed
HEATED DEBATE ENSUES
which Seems to Center whether
Prospective Female Voters Shall be
Asked ms to Their Intentions or De-
clnre Them-Bin Recommitted

Montpelier, Feb. 1o.-Woman suffrage,
the question of assistance for the attor-
ney-general, the federal farm loan meas
ure, the testing and examination of cat
tie, horses and mules with reference to
tuberculosis, and the matter of the set
Elements of accounts of executors, ad
ministrators. trustees and guardians. fur
nished subject matter for plenty of Lin
coins birthday oratory In both the House
and the Senate to-day. Two amend
ments, an amendment to the amend
ments and an amendment to the amend
ment of the bill as amended got II. /,
relating to qualifications of voters in
town meeting and providing that women
voters shall take the freeman's oath and
pay a poll tax, into all kinds of hot
water this morning. until Mr.. Estee Of
Montpelier finally moved that the bill
be recommitted in order to give 1t a
little air and time to recover. This was
done
After an hour of strenuous debate this
afternoon on II. 12 which came up first
this morning and was postponed for a
special order this bill. which provides
for the settlements Of accounts of exec
utors, administrators. trustees and guar
by a good majority. 1t came into the
House under a favorable majority report
from the committee on judiciary.
The bill from the committee of agricul-
ture, providing for the Importation, test
ing and examination of cattle, horses and
mules, was also favorably reported by
the committee on agriculture. This bill
has been the subject OF several hearings
and is considered an important measure.
1t was laid over this morning and made a
special order for this afternoon when 1t
was taken up and ably defended by Mr..
Dunklee of Vernon, the youngest member
! of the House. Mr.. Writer'S Of st. Johns
| bury, next to the youngest member of
the House. said that he understood that,
| If this bill We're passed. it would work n
hardship on many farmers of the state
and he thought it ought to be looked into
| very closely before it was passed. On his
motion the bill was laid on the table and
made a special order for next Tuesday
morning.
DEBATE ON SUFFRAGE BILL
! In the Senate there was a hot debate
over the bill to provide for a deputy at
torney-general, which was finally reject
ed and over S. SO. relating to assistance
|
under an adverse report, but was ordered
to third reading by a yea and nay vote
of q to Q. The House also had some debate
| over the federal farm loan measure.
When the suffrage bill carne up thi:
morning as a special order, Mr.. Alexander
of St Albans city. with the consent %
the House. proposed two amendments. thu
first providing that women who so re
quest may be placed on the list and pay
| poll tax, and the second that this bill
shall take effect from April |, 1919. liz
also proposed to amend the title of thu
bill at the proper time.
MIR. CUDWORTH FOR BILL
Mr.. Cudworth of Londonderry oppose
both the bill and the amendments am
expressed himself as being entirely op
posed to women's suffrage, his teaching
from the cradle up having been in tina
, direction, and he did not feel that h
, was msrepresenting the women OF Yer
mont when he took this stand agains
this bill Mr.. Cudworth also maintaine
that the suffrage advocates put on
over" at the last session of the Legis
. lature. one of the leaders in the figh
for suffrage at the last session had sine
then boasted of the fact that this ha
| Deen OOne, TeleTTiHS W NhS'S Nh'i
, women had declared a tax on a dollar c
! so in order to vote, the cost to tn
State in collecting the same being NOR
than the tax was worth.
l Mr.. Cudworth maintained that this bi
would make three classes in the stat
Of Vermont First, men who have
pay a poll tax whether they wish to {
Q not; second, women who wish to vote an
I |
e who do not care about voting and VIII
G therefore, do not pay the poll tax TT
speaker declared that he considered tn
unfair. If any such measure was
Q be passed, he said, 1t should be meas
ure requiring all women to pay the pc
tax.
ALSO MR.. WHITE
Mr. White Of Woodstock spoke in fave
of the bill and told Of his home lif
, which had thoroughly convinced him thu
women should have the same suffrae
rights of men. He declared that wome
are ready to pay this poll tax and star
on an equal footing with men, and |
asked that the House pass this bill al
', give them this opportunity
- Mr. White of Georgia took issue Wi
l. Mr.. Cudworth concerning several point
| ana SAD lnHt hS lar bS ne was col
- cerned. nobody connected with the su
> frage movement had ever asked him
= introduce the bill in question, but he hi
introduced ii because he believed in Il
:, cause, and he was not trying to put
over" the Legislature. Mr.. White d
clared that this bill does not give Il
- women any more suffrage rights tn;
. they already have, but 1t does RENE,
= the situation which has existed wherel
10 woman could have her name plac
20 on the check list by merely declaring
- dollar or so grand list. 1t will now
=, necessary for woman who votes
pay poll tax, and this will place h
=, on par with the men in town meetir
.d Mr., Alexander declared that he object
O. to Mr., Cudworth's statement that som
body was trying to put something owe
in in the House, He (Mr. Alexander) h
rs no such intentions. He did favor /
ID bill and thought it should pass,
p MIR. HOPKINS FAVORS BILL
al Mr.. Hopkins of Burlington stated tn
= he was opposed to, suffrage. but tn
u. under the existing conditions, he favor
III the passage of the bill. Mr.. Dyer
III Salisbury believed that the bill fitted t
need and he was in favor of II,
Mr.. White of Woodstock called for I
IL yHas and nays on the adoption Of