456 HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE chairman of the Legislative Committee, presided. 1 People stood four hours listening to the speeches and returned to a suffrage mass meeting at night. Mrs. William Force Scott and Miss Mar- garet Doane Gardner spoke for the "antis." Mrs. Crossett asked of the committee: "Does it mean nothing to you that 40,000 women in this State are organized to secure the franchise ; that a few years ago 600,000 people signed the petition for woman suf- frage to the constitutional convention; that associations formed for other purposes representing hundreds of thousands of mem- bers have endorsed it?" Mrs. Graham, president of the State V. C. T. U. ; Mrs. John Winters Brannan and Mrs. Pearce Bailey, representing the Equal Franchise Society; Miss Mills, speaking for the State League; Leonora O'Reilly, presenting the resolution of the Women's Trade Union League of New York for the amendment; Mrs. Dexter F. Rumsey, speaking for Mrs. Nettie Rogers Shuler, president of the Western New York Federation of Women's Clubs ; Mrs. Lillie Devereux Blake, a pioneer suffra- gist, president of the Legislative League; Mrs. Florence Kelley, executive secretary of the Consumers' League; Mrs. George Howard Lewis of Buffalo, a well known philanthropist; Mrs. Maud Nathan, president of the New York Consumers' League; Mrs. Rodgers and Mrs. Gabrielle Mulliner, lawyers all urged the legislators to submit the question to the voters. Dr. Shaw held the audience spellbound until 6 o'clock. John Sparge >, the well known socialist, spoke independently with much PMWIT, demanding the vote especially for working women. The use of the Assembly Chamber was granted for an evening suffrage imd- ing which attracted a large audience. The Legislature took no action. 2 1 The Legislative Committee was composed of Mrs. George Howard Lewis, Miss Miller, Mrs. L. Cuyler, Mrs. Villard, Mrs. Harry S. Hastings, Mrs. Craigie, Mrs. Rodgers, Miss Jenney. A Cooperating Committee representing the entire State was of great assistance. Among its members were Mrs. Catt, Mrs Blatch, Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Shuler, each president of a large organization of women; the Rev. Josiah Strong, president American Institute of Social Science; Oswald Garrison Villard, proprietor of the New York Evening Post; Dr. Stewardson, president Hobart College; Professor Schmidt, of Cornell Univer- sity; Colonel A. S. Bacon, treasurer of the American Sabbath Union; Edwin Markham, William G. Van Plank, Dr. John D. Peters, D.D.; Florence Kelley, Elizabeth Burrill Curtis, Caroline Lexow, president College Women's League; Mrs. Osborne and others.
- Among those added to the Cooperating Suffrage Committee during this and the
preceding year were Mrs. Belmont, president of the Political Equality Suffrage Associa- tion; Mrs. Mackay, president of the Equal Franchise Society; Jessie Ashley, president
