ived. In many cases the women voted: 15 did so
in Finsbury (not only was there no disturbance, but hardly any
remark was made, and they expressed their surprise that it was so
easy a thing to do); 12 in Gordon and 10 in Levenshulme, both
little districts in Lancashire, and smaller numbers in other
places. In Chester the parliament candidate issued his election
placards to "Ladies and Gentlemen."

On November 7, the case of the 5,000 Manchester women householders
was argued before the Court of Common Pleas. Mr. J. D. Coleridge
(now Lord Coleridge, Lord-chief-justice of England) and Dr.
Pankhurst were the counsel for the appellants. Mr. John Coleridge
in an able argument spoke of the ancient constitutional right of
women to take part in elections. He produced copies from the record
office of several indentures returning members to parliament, the
signatures of which were in the hand-writing of women, or to which
women were parties. He argued that the term "man" in the Reform act
included woman, not only generally but specifically, under the
provisions of Lord Romilly's act. The case was argued before
Lord-chief-justice Boville; the decision was given on November 9,
and decisively pronounced that the new Reform act had never
intended to include women, and that they were incapacitated from
voting. This decision did not affect the women who were already on
the register, and many voted in the general election which took
place afterwards. Thus women have been shut out from electoral
rights, not by any decree of parliament, but by this decision of
the Court of Common Pleas. However there was no appeal from this
Court, except to parliament, and from this time forward the
character of the agitation changed. The year 1868 ended with a
legal decision which seemed crushing in its finality, while the
same year had given the most conclusive proof that women wished to
vote, and would do so whenever the opportunity offered.

The next year, 1869, gave another convincing proof that women were
eager to vote, and brought us the most substantial triumph yet
obtained, due to the wisdom and skilful tactics of Mr. Jacob
Bright, member of parliament for Manchester. This victory was the
municipal franchise for women. Early in 1869 Mr. Hibbert introduced
a bill to regulate the conditions of the municipal franchise. By
the Municipal Corporation Amendment act, passed in 1835, male
persons only were authorized to vote. The present bill was to amen