he hard work, the deep devotion to the
cause of the men and women of preceding years had begun to bear fruit
and instead of finding a lone member here and there in favor of woman
suffrage, now there were many. Hitherto it had been solely a woman's
campaign, aided by only a few loyal men who dared brave the ridicule
of their brothers. The years of education had begun to change public
opinion and the president felt that the time for women to be
buttonholing unwilling men in the lobbies in an apologetic manner was
past. She called a conference of leading men from both Houses to meet
with the Legislative Committee in the office of Attorney General Royal
C. Johnson. This call met with a hearty response and plans were made
which proved so effective that the amendment resolution was the first
measure to pass the Legislature, almost before the opponents knew the
suffragists were on the ground. The poll had been so quietly and
carefully taken that the committee knew its exact strength in both
Houses almost before the resolution was on the calendar. Governor
Frank M. Byrne gave his valuable assistance, as he had done when a
member of the Senate in preceding years. Mrs. Byrne also was an
excellent ally.

The members of the Legislature always referred to this legislative
work as "the campaign of Committee Room 2," as this room beside the
elevator in the House side of the Capitol had been placed at the
disposal of the suffragists. Their committee quietly stayed there
while members were summoned one by one, interviewed and pledged if
possible. Unsuspecting members, supposing they were summoned by some
State official, would come and then would consider it such a good joke
that they would say nothing and wait for their neighbor to get caught,
so that nearly the entire membership was interviewed before the men
began to compare notes.

Among many amusing incidents was the following: The suffrage question
could always be depended upon to fill the galleries and call forth
floods of oratory. When it was up for discussion at this time Senator
James Mather of Brown county rose and announced in no uncertain terms
that he was unalterably opposed; he did not believe in woman suffrage;
it would afford him great satisfaction, indeed he craved the
opportunity, to be recorded as voting against it. The roll-call
started alphabetically and it went Aye-Aye-Aye down to M. When the
name Mather was called the Senator, looking decidedly embarrassed,
ask