Legislative Action And Laws: Harvey Howes of West Haven was the only man in a convention called to aménd the State constitution in 1870, who voted to grant full political rights to women; 233 voted in opposition.
To secure to taxpaying women the right of Municipal Suffrage, has been the special line of legislative work for the State association. Petitions asking for this, with signatures varying in number from 1,225 to 3,616, and bills to grant it. have been presented in both Houses of the Legislature at nine biennial sessions, beginning with 1884. In every instance save one these have been referred to the Judiciary Committees. -In 1884 a Municipal Suffrage Bill was introduced into the House by O. E. Butterfield and supported by himself and Messrs. Adams, Henry, Stickney and others, but was lost by 69 yeas, 113 nays.
In 1886 a bill to permit all women to vote who paid taxes was introduced and strongly advocated in the House by Luke P. Poland. It was amended without his consent to require that they should pay taxes on $200 worth of property, and passed by 139 yeas, 89 nays. In the Senate it was championed by Messrs. Bates, Blake, Bunker, Clark, Cushing, Foster, Pierce, Smith, Stanley and Swain, but was lost by 10 yeas, 18 nays.
In 1888 a Municipal Suffrage Bill was introduced into the House by C. P. Marsh, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, that gave a hearing at which the State W. S. A. was represented. Later, at a public hearing in Representatives' Hall, Henry B. Blackwell, Prof. W. H. Carruth of Kansas, Col. Albert Clarke, Mrs. Mary W. Foster and Miss Laura Moore urged the passage of this bill. It was reported to the House "without expression of opinion..' The friendly members on the committee were Messrs. Marsh, Ballard and Mann. In the debate which followed, these three, with Messrs. Southworth and Dole, supported the bill; and a letter was read from Amasa Scott, presenting arguments in its favor. It was lost by 38 yeas, 192 nays.
Still later in this session a petition signed by the officers of the
Bailey, Lucia G. Brown, M. A. Brewster, Inez E. Campbell, H. G. Minot, G. E. Moody, Harriet S. Moore, Emily E. Reed, Clinton Smith, Mary H. Semple, Anna E. Spencer, L. B. Wilson and Jane Marlette Taft; Misses Caroline Scott, Eliza S. Eaton and I. E. Moody; the Rev. Mark Atwood, L. N. Chandler, Editor Arthur F. Stone and ex-Gov. Carroll S. Page.
