Mrs. M. E. S. Cheney and Miss Blackwell. Mrs. M. E. Tucker
Faunce was the sole remonstrant.

The committee reported in favor of the petitioners, 7 yeas, 4 nays.
The question was debated in the Legislature February 21. Every inch of
space was crowded, the first three rows of the men's gallery were
allowed on this occasion to be occupied by women and even then many
stood. On motion of Representative White of Brookline an amendment was
adopted by 110 yeas, 90 nays, providing that Municipal Suffrage should
be granted conditionally; the question be submitted to a vote of the
men and women of the State, and the measure to go into effect only in
case the majority of those voting on it voted in favor. The bill as
amended was then defeated by 111 yeas, 101 nays, almost every opponent
of suffrage voting against it. They thus virtually declared that they
were not willing women should have Municipal Suffrage even if the
majority of both men and women could be shown to favor it. The adverse
majority this year was ten votes; the smallest in any previous year
had been 49.

_1894_--Gov. Frederick T. Greenhalge, in his inaugural message to the
Legislature, strongly urged that it should consider the extension of
Municipal Suffrage to women.

On January 18 a hearing was given by the Joint Special Committee. No
remonstrant petitions had been sent in. The chairman invited alternate
speeches from suffragists and opponents, but only one of the latter
presented himself, J. Otis Wardwell of Haverhill, who said:

I appear here this morning for a lady who, I understand, has
occupied a position as chairman or secretary of an organization
that has for some time been an active opponent of woman suffrage.

_Mr. Blackwell_--May I inquire what the organization is that the
gentleman refers to? We have never been able to find out much
about this organization against woman suffrage. We hear that
there is one, but if so it is a secret society. What is the name
of it?

MR. WARDWELL--I do not know the name of it, sir. [Laughter.]

When pressed for the name of the lady at whose request he appeared he
finally acknowledged that it was Mrs. C. D. Homans of Boston. It was
afterwards reported that she was extremely indignant with him for
having disclosed her name.

Addresses in favor of suffrage were made by Mrs. Howe, Mrs. Livermore,
Mr. Ernst, Mr. Garrison, Mr. and Miss Blackwell, for the State W. S.
A.; by