tters poured in from
all parts of the State, the W. C. T. U. co-operated cordially, and
hearings were granted by House and Senate committees. The bill passed
the Assembly February 26 by 83 ayes, 29 noes. Of the latter 18 were
from New York City. Of the 38 absent or not voting 22 were from that
city.

In the Senate the bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee as
usual. On March 20 a hearing before this committee was arranged for
those in favor and opposed. It was conducted by Mrs. Loines for the
suffragists, who were represented by Mrs. Chapman, Miss Chanler, a
large taxpayer in Dutchess County, and Miss Alice Stone Blackwell of
Boston, but a taxpayer in New York. Mrs. Arthur M. Dodge was at the
head of the eighteen women who came from the anti-suffrage society to
protest against taxpaying women being granted a representation on
questions of taxation. The other speakers were Mrs. Rossiter Johnson
of New York City, Mrs. Crannell of Albany, and Mrs. William Putnam of
Groton who read a paper written by Mrs. Charles Wetmore. The first
took the ground that the bill was unconstitutional. The second
protested against the attempt "to force widows, spinsters and married
women to vote against their will." The third begged the members of the
Senate Committee "not to be hoodwinked into believing this was not a
suffrage measure," and assured them that "many of the members had
pledged themselves to vote for it without recognizing that it was a
suffrage bill." She also said: "For the last fifty years, while the
suffragists have been wasting their strength in the effort to get the
ballot, we, and women like us, have been quietly going ahead and
gaining for women the rights they now enjoy in regard to education,
property and the professions. The suffragists had nothing to do with
it."

The friends of the bill in the Senate tried in vain to obtain a report
from the Judiciary Committee, the chairman, Edgar Truman Brackett,
being opposed to the bill. Finally, on April 11, Senator Humphrey
moved "to discharge the committee from further consideration," which
was carried by 22 ayes, 20 noes. On April 19 it was brought to a vote
and passed by 27 ayes, 14 noes, 8 of the latter from New York City.
Mr. Grady was absent.

The bill was signed by Gov. Benjamin F. Odell, April 24, 1901. It was
generally understood that U. S. Senator Thomas C. Platt was in favor
of the measure. Judge Charles Z. Lincoln, chairman of the Statutory
Revision Commi