t the words
"all inhabitants" were substituted for those of "male
freeholders" in the provincial charter. Hence the constitution of
1776 gave suffrage to women and men of color. Mrs. Seagrove made
an appeal on behalf of the women of the State. Mr. Blackwell gave
a resume of the unconstitutional action of the legislature in its
depriving women of their right to vote. Mrs. Hanaford, in answer
to a question of the committee, claimed the right for women not
only to vote but to hold office; and instanced from her own
observation the need of women as police officers, and especially
as matrons in the police stations. The result of these appeals
may be seen in a paragraph from the Boston _Commonwealth_, a
paper in hearty sympathy:

In the lower House of the New Jersey legislature a
Democratic member recently moved that the word "male" be
stricken from the constitution of the State. After some
positive discussion a non-partisan vote of 27 to 24 defeated
the motion. This occurrence, it is to be observed, is
chronicled of one of the most conservative States in the
Union. The arguments used on both sides were not new or
remarkable. But the vote was very close. If such a measure
could in so conservative a State be nearly carried, we can
have reasonable hope of its favorable reception, in more
radical sections. In New Jersey we did not expect success
for the resolution proposed. The favorable votes really
surprised us. We do not mistake the omen. Gradually the
point of woman's responsibility is being conceded. The
arbitrary lines now drawn politically and socially are
without reason. Indeed, one of the members of the New Jersey
Assembly called attention to the fact that to grant suffrage
now would not be the conferring of a new gift on women, but
only a restoration of rights exercised in colonial times.

FOOTNOTES:

[274] See Vol. I., page 447.

[275] Mrs. Pryor lived formerly in Waterloo, New York. She was
present at the first convention at Seneca Falls, and sustained the
demand for woman suffrage with earnest sympathy. I have been
indebted to her for a splendid housekeeper, trained by her in all
domestic accomplishments, who lived in my family for thirty years,
a faithful, devoted