On the basis of the documents dealing with Victoria I shall give a more detailed account of the history of woman's suffrage in this colony. The greatest statesman of Victoria, George Higinbotham, in 1873 introduced the first woman's suffrage bill before Parliament. This met with no success. A number of similar attempts were made until 1884. In this year there was founded the first "Woman's Suffrage Society" in Victoria. The movement then spread rapidly, and in 1891 thirty thousand women petitioned Parliament for the suffrage in state affairs. For the time being this attempt likewise met with failure. But the political organization of the women was strengthened through the formation of the "United Council for Woman's Suffrage." Every year after 1895 this Council gave advice to the Lower House concerning the framing of woman's suffrage bills, and thus enlarged its influence. Hitherto the passing of the suffrage bill had been prevented by the opposition of the Upper House (which was not chosen by universal suffrage). On November 18, 1908, the bill was finally passed by the _House of Obstruction_, and thus the women, who had worked for the suffrage, were finally emancipated. Since 1893, the year of the emancipation of women in New Zealand, the opponents of woman's suffrage put off the women with the request to wait and see how the plan worked in New Zealand; in 1896 the women were asked to wait and see how the plan worked in New South Wales; in 1902 they were asked to see how woman's suffrage worked in the federal elections. In 1908 it was possible to secure only 3500 signatures _against_ woman's suffrage. In New Zealand the women have exercised active suffrage since 1893. There also, the gloomiest predictions were made when this "unprecedented" measure was adopted. There were, of course, women opponents of woman's suffrage. Such, for example, was Mrs. Seddon, the wife of the Prime Minister of New Zealand. She said: "It seemed to me that the women ought to remain away from the tumult and riotous scenes of the polling booths. But I gave up this view. With us, the women benefited the suffrage and the suffrage benefited the women. The elections have taken place more quietly and women have indicated a lively interest in public affairs.