enacted a Homestead law. In 1850, a bill empowering
the wife to insure, in her own interest, the life, or a term of the
life of her husband; the annual premium on such insurance not to
exceed $300; also an act giving to widows of childless husbands the
whole of an estate not exceeding $1,000 in value, and half of any
amount in excess of $1,000; and if he left no kin, the whole estate,
however large, became the property of the widow. Prior to this Act,
the widow of a childless husband had only half, however small the
estate, and if he left no kindred to claim it, the remaining half went
into the treasury of the State, whose gain was the town's loss, if, as
occasionally happened, the widow's half was not sufficient for her
support.[22]

In 1852, I drew up a petition signed by more than 200 of the most
substantial business men, including the staunchest conservatives, and
tax-paying widows of Brattleboro, asking the Legislature to make the
women of the State voters in district school meetings.

Up to 1850 I had not taken position for suffrage, but instead of
disclaiming its advocacy as improper, I had, since 1849, shown the
absurdity of regarding suffrage as unwomanly. Having failed to secure
her legal rights by reason of her disfranchisement, a woman must look
to the ballot for self-protection. In this cautious way I proceeded,
aware that not a house would be opened to me, did I demand the
suffrage before convicting men of legal robbery, through woman's
inability to defend herself.

The petition was referred to the Educational Committee of the House,
whose chairman, editor of the _Rutland Herald_, was a bitter opponent,
and I felt that he would, in his report, lampoon "Woman's Rights" and
their most prominent advocates, thus sending his poison into all the
towns ignorant of our objects, and strengthening the already repellant
prejudices of the leading women at the capital. I wrote to Judge
Thompson, editor of the _Green Mountain Freeman_ (a recent accession
to the press of the State and friendly to our cause), what I feared,
and asked him to plead before the Committee and interest influential
members to protect woman's cause against abuse before the House. He
counseled with leading members of the three political parties--Whig,
Free-Soil, and Democrat--including the Speaker of the House, and they
advised, as the best course, that "Mrs. Nichols come to Montpelier,
and they would invite her, by a handsome vote, to speak to