r Municipal and License Suffrage, and both societies for legislation
granting women equal facilities with men in registering to vote for
school committee. On March 2 a hearing was given by the Committee on
Election Laws on an order introduced by Senator Gorham D. Gilman to
remove the poll-tax prerequisite for women's school vote, as it had
been removed from men. Bills to secure for them a more just and
liberal method of registration, drafted by ex-Governor Long and Mr.
Blackwell, were submitted. Addresses were made by these two, Senator
Gilman, Mrs. Cheney, Dr. Salome Merritt, Mrs. Brockway and others.

On February 19 a hearing was given on the suffrage petitions which
were advocated by Senator Gilman, Colonel Dudley, Mrs. Howe, Lucy
Stone, Mr. Blackwell, the Hon. George S. Hale, Mrs. Trask Hill and
others. No remonstrants appeared. On March 14 the hearing for the W.
C. T. U. was held with many prominent advocates.

License Suffrage was discussed in the House April 27, and on a _viva
voce_ vote was declared carried, but on a roll call was defeated, 93
yeas, 96 nays. A reconsideration was moved next day and the advocates
of the bill secured twenty-three additional votes, but the opponents
also increased their vote and the motion was refused. Out of the 240
members 117 recorded themselves in favor of the bill. Municipal
Suffrage was voted down in the Senate May 2, without debate, by 10
yeas, 22 nays.

The poll-tax was abolished as a prerequisite for voting in the case of
women. This had been done in the case of men in 1890. A bill to permit
a wife to bring an action against her husband, at law or in equity,
for any matter relating to her separate property or estate passed the
House but was defeated in the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee
reported against legislation to enable a woman to be appointed a
justice of the peace.

_1893_--This year for the first time the State W. S. A., the National
W. S. A. of Massachusetts, the W. C. T. U., the Independent Women
Voters and the Loyal Women of American Liberty all united in
petitioning for a single measure, Municipal Suffrage. The hearing at
the State House on February 1 was conducted by Mr. Blackwell.
Addresses were made by Lucy Stone,[318] Mrs. Howe, Mrs. Mary A.
Livermore, Mrs. Stevenson, the Rev. Louis A. Banks, Mayor Elihu B.
Hayes of Lynn, Mrs. A. J. Gordon, Mrs. Trask Hill, Mrs. A. P.
Dickerman, Mrs. Fiske of St. Johns, N. B., Amos Beckford, George E.
Lothrop,