ffrage, their combined influence, with Senator MacMillan's
earnest work, was sufficient to pass this bill through the Senate by
29 ayes, 4 noes. At the closing hour of the last session in the House,
Dr. H. M. Moore, one of the members of a third party that finally had
assisted the Democrats to elect John M. Palmer as United States
Senator, made an urgent plea that something should be done for the
women; and because of his eloquence, or the gratitude of the
Democrats, or the keen sense of justice among all the members, the
Senate School Suffrage Bill was passed by 83 ayes, 43 noes.

As it was the general impression that women had received the full
School Franchise by this bill, they proceeded to vote on bonds,
location of buildings and various other matters pertaining to the
schools, and also for county superintendents. The bill was obscurely
worded, and it has taken four decisions of the Supreme Court of
Illinois to decide just the points which it covered and the limits to
which it might be constitutionally extended. As it now stands, under
this law women can vote only for candidates for such school offices
as have been created by the Legislature. (See Suffrage.)

However, this bill was useful in securing from the Supreme Court the
ruling that the Legislature had power to regulate the suffrage
concerning all positions created by itself. Heretofore the weight of
judicial opinion had been the other way; that no change whatever could
be made in the suffrage except by constitutional amendment.[239]

During the session of 1893 R. W. Coon secured the passage in the
Senate of a Township Suffrage Bill prepared by the State association.
Its members argued that if school offices not named in the
constitution are creations of the Legislature, so are most of the
township offices and therefore it has power to grant women the
suffrage for these. This bill was accompanied by a petition of 12,000
names. Senator Bogardus made a spirited report on these, extolling the
character of the signers, whose standing he had ascertained from the
senators of their districts. It passed the Senate by 26 votes, a
constitutional majority. In the House the committee reported it
favorably, many members pledged themselves to its support, and it went
through the second reading safely; but just when expectation ran
highest, it was referred back to the committee and smothered.

In this same Legislature a bill to repeal the School Suffrage Law was
defeate