Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-11-30
WOMEN'S JOKE
UPON A STATE,
Suffragists Gain a Victory in
Iowa, the Voters

7
Ballot Constitutional Convention pro-
position Carried, Though Few Who
! Voted for Ii hid so Understandings.
Sioux Cry, Ia, Nov. 30-The fact
that the proposition for eonstitu-
tional convention which was voted
on in Iowa with the proposition for
| biennial elections was carried is Of
great significance to the leaders OF
the struggle in this state for woman 5
suffrage Mrs. Evelyn II. Belden, of
this city, president of the Iowa Equal
Suffrage Association. declares that
it is a joke on Iowa that the propo
sition carried, and that the suffra
gists are the perpetrators in mega
! tive way. For at constitutional
convention the suffrage question
may be submitted tor prompt decis-
ion; without it the legislature must
| twice pass the amendment to the
constitution granting women the
| ballot and because the women kept
still and failed to enlighten the vo-
| ters of the state as to the meaning
of the proposition, it was carried.
People voted forit without generally
knowing what they did and with the
general supposition that it had con
nection with the Titus amendment
proposition, which would save the
state, by making elections biennial,
about 100000 year.
''If the question of the eonstitu-
tional convention in this state had
been submitted alone" said Mrs.
Belden, "it could never have carried.
The uselessness of it and expense of
it would have defeated it surely
The only persons interested in its
favor were the suffragists, and we
just let it drift along in the hope
that the Titus amendment compan-
ion it had would bring about it's
adoption. And it did.
THE equal sutfragists will now
pitch in and make a hard fight to
secure members of the commission
who are friendly to our cause We
will set about work at once to win,
and we never were in better condi-
ton to do so than now, and it could
not have come at a more opportune
time"
The opportunity which the consti-
| tutional convention will afford the
sUffragists for winning comes at a time
when their fortunes are low. The
fights in the legislatures to have the
suffrage amendment voted on favor
ably have been twice unsuccessful, al
though defeat has in each case been
by but small margin of votes. Mrs.
Belden has been at the head and
front of the fights and it has been due
largely to her ability as lobbyist that
the defeats have not been much more
crushing. The state association has
made quiet campaign Of education
| in the interims between sessions Of
the legislature, and the literature has
been sent broadcast from the Des
Moines headquarters. The effort has
been made to convince legislators that
a vote for the suffrage question would
not be Objectionable to their constit-
uencies and TO make the constitu-
encies feel that way about it. 1t has
been big fight and not until now has
light broken through.
A constitutional convention is gen.
orally conceded by Iowa legislators
and politicians to be needed about as
much as a dog needs two tails, not
withstanding that it carried through
| lack of information as to what 1t real
! Ivy &c vtc fc
prise aud the state is to be saddled
with expenses and formalities which
have no purpose in view. Conse-
quently the convention will be largely
a convention to determine whether
/ Iowa women shall or shall not vote.
The last gathering of this kind was
at the former capital of the state,
Iowa City, in January, 1857. 1t as
sembled January 10Th and remained
in session until March 5th. 1t was a
memorable gathering, for the capital
was changed to Des Moines, the state
university located permanently at
Iowa city and its delegates were
lowa's most able men, whose discus
sion of constitutional law formed de-
bates Of value in data regarding fun
damental government principles. 1t
also changed the limitof the state
debt from 100000 to $3.50, 900, the
number of senators was fixed at fifty
land represen tatives at 100: the Su-
1preme judges were required to be
elected by the people; the office Of
4 lieutenant governor was created; IL
was enacted that majority vote in
the legislature should be sufficient to
pass a bill; proviso was made to sub
nit to the people proposition to
strike the word white from the article
on suffrage, which was adopted in
1868.