the crowd on suffrage
after the Republican speeches were over and questioned the candidates
for Governor and other State officers as to their stand on suffrage.
This unique and somewhat sensational method was taken up with avidity
by the newspapers, which gave it front-page articles with
illustrations. Later she turned her attention to the Democratic
candidates. This was kept up until election and suffrage facts and
arguments were presented to thousands of voters who would never
otherwise have heard them.

In 1912 the Legislative Committee, Miss Mary Gay, chairman, conducted
the hearing on February 26. Afterwards a special letter of thanks was
sent to Professor Lewis J. Johnson of Harvard and the Hon. Joseph
Walker for their help at the hearing. The amendment had able support
from members and the campaign work began to show results. The vote in
the House was ayes, 96, noes, 116; in the Senate, aye's, 14, noes, 17.

In the autumn the method was introduced which many believed was
ultimately responsible for putting the amendment through the
Legislature. It was the defeating of individual legislators who had
been prominent opponents by making an active political campaign in
their districts. The first was begun at the primaries against State
Senator Roger Wolcott of Milton, chairman of the Constitutional
Amendments Committee in the preceding Legislature. The women compiled
a record of his negative votes on many liberal measures, including
suffrage, and spread this record before his constituents. This work
was done at the suggestion and under the direction of Mrs. Fitzgerald,
who conducted open-air meetings in the district. The effort to defeat
his renomination in the primary failed, however, largely through their
inexperience. The Legislative Committee at the time consisted of Mrs.
Crowley, chairman, Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Park, Mrs. Page, Miss Foley and
Mrs. Mary Agnes Mahan and remained substantially the same during the
next two or three years, with the addition of Mrs. Marie Burress
Currier, Miss Cora Start and Mrs. Evelyn Peverley Coe. Then they made
a fight against Mr. Wolcott's election and by a most thorough campaign
defeated him at the polls and a Democrat was returned from that
district for the first time in many years.

This year marked the high tide of the Progressive party in
Massachusetts. It had put a straight suffrage plank in its platform
and its members in the Legislature were very helpful. The defeat of
Wo