ere not agreed as
to its constitutionality. It was passed by 51 ayes, 39 noes. In the
Senate the amended bill passed by 27 ayes, 20 noes.

The greatest difficulty in the way of securing Municipal or School
Suffrage was the opinion prevalent among legislators that it would be
unconstitutional. In view of this fact the State association decided
to drop all partial suffrage measures and ask only for the Full
Franchise by constitutional amendment.

In 1898 a legislative committee was appointed with Mrs. Belden, State
president, as chairman. Assisted by Miss Mary G. Hay of New York, she
spent some time at the capital trying to secure a joint resolution for
the submission of an amendment. The resolution was lost in the House
by 50 ayes, 47 noes--just one short of a constitutional majority,
which is one over a half of the whole number of members. It did not
come to a vote in the Senate.

In 1900 Mrs. Belden established headquarters at the Savery House in
Des Moines, and with other members of the legislative committee
conducted a vigorous campaign for submission. The bill was reported
favorably by unanimous vote of both House and Senate committees, but
was lost in the House by 44 ayes, 55 noes. Subsequently it passed the
"sifting committee," for the first time in the history of suffrage
legislation in the State. It was then acted upon by the Senate and
lost by 24 ayes, 23 noes--lacking two votes of a constitutional
majority. The absence on account of illness of some of the friends of
the measure contributed to this result. In the meantime work had been
done in the House by Mrs. Belden and the Hon. G. W. Hinkle which had
made it certain that if the bill was carried in the Senate the House
would reconsider and pass it. The bill was treated with courtesy and
fairness and instead of ignoring its claims men came voluntarily to
talk about it and showed a genuine interest.

The laws of inheritance are the same for husband and wife. Dower and
curtesy are abolished. The surviving husband or wife is entitled to
one-third in fee simple of both real and personal estate of the other
at his or her death. If either die intestate, leaving no issue,
one-half of the estate goes to the survivor, the rest to his or her
parents, one or both; or if they are both dead, to their descendants.
If there are none such, the whole estate goes to the surviving husband
or wife. If there should have been more than one wife or husband, the
half portion is