by him.
The friends of negro suffrage tried hard to get him to yield and
let their resolution through, but he was firm in his refusal,
saying he advocated both, "but if we can have but one, let the
negro wait." On the 12th day of February Hon. W. W. Updegraff, a
member of the House and an ardent supporter of both woman and
negro suffrage, went to Mr. Wood and urged a compromise. After a
long discussion two separate resolutions were prepared by Mr.
Wood, one for woman suffrage, the other for negro suffrage, and
these Mr. Updegraff introduced into the House the same day. The
next day the vote on the woman suffrage resolution came up and
stood fifty-two to twenty-five. Not being a two-thirds vote, the
resolution was lost.

On the 14th the negro suffrage resolution came up and passed by a
vote of sixty-one to fourteen. The vote on woman suffrage was
then re-considered, and after an assurance from Mr. Updegraff
that negro suffrage could be secured in no other way, it passed
by a vote of sixty-two to nineteen, getting one more vote than
negro suffrage. These resolutions were promptly reported to the
Senate, and on motion of S. N. Wood, the woman suffrage
resolution was passed by over a two-thirds vote. The negro
suffrage resolution was amended, and after a bitter fight was
passed. Thus these separate resolutions were both submitted to a
vote of the people. The Legislature adjourned about the 12th of
March. Hon. S. N. Wood immediately prepared a notice of a meeting
to be held in Topeka on the 2d of April to organize a canvass for
impartial suffrage without regard to sex or color. This was
published in the _State Record_ with the statement that it was by
the request of Hon. S. N. Wood; it was copied by all the papers
of the State. Mr. Wood, ex-Governor Robinson, and others, wrote
to many prominent advocates East asking them to be present at the
Topeka meeting. It was soon known that Lucy Stone and Henry B.
Blackwell would be there, and a very great and general interest
was aroused on the question.

April 2d at length arrived, and although it was a season of
terrible mud and rain, and there were no railroads, a very large
audience assembled. Hon. S. N. Wood rode eighty miles on
horseback to attend the meeting. Lucy Stone and Mr. Blackwell