cure Municipal Suffrage under the leadership of their president,
Mrs. Fannie H. Rastall. Mrs. Zerelda G. Wallace, their national
superintendent of franchise, gave a series of her eloquent lectures.
The strongest suffrage speakers in the country came to the State,
under the management of Mrs. Laura M. Johns, and petitions were
secured containing 10,000 names, more than ever had been presented for
any purpose. This agitation was continued up to the opening of the
Legislature, Jan. 11, 1887, when Mrs. Johns was on hand with the bill.
It was introduced in the Senate by Judge R. W. Blue and referred to
the Judiciary Committee, of which he was chairman. A favorable report,
with a minority dissent, was made, but the original bill had been
substituted by one which provided merely that "women should vote for
all city officers." A vigorous protest was made by the suffrage
leaders. They insisted that the right to vote for city bonds should be
included, and that the inequalities should be remedied in the present
law which prevented women of first and second class cities from voting
on school questions as did those of the third class and the country
districts. A compromise was finally effected and a bill drafted by
which women should vote for all city and school officers and on bonds
for school appropriations.

A petition against the bill was sent in signed by nineteen women of
Independence, saying in effect that women had all the rights they
needed. On the morning when it was to be discussed an enormous bouquet
adorned the desk of Senator R. M. Pickler, leader of the opponents,
the card inscribed, "From the women of Kansas who do not wish to vote.
History honors the man who dares to do what is right." Later
investigation disclosed the fact that no woman had any part in sending
the flowers, but that, as one member remarked in open session, their
chief perfume was that of alcohol.

After hours of debate and an adjournment the bill finally was adopted
on January 28, by 25 yeas, all Republicans; 13 nays, 10 Republicans, 3
Democrats. Judge Blue's table was loaded with flowers and every
Senator who voted in favor was decorated with a choice buttonhole
bouquet sent by the ladies.

The bill was already far advanced in the House, under the management
of Gen. T. T. Taylor. On February 10 the discussion continued the
entire day. Scripture was read and Biblical authorities cited from Eve
to St. Paul; the pure female angels were dragged thro