nted the second, which was to give
women a vote upon all questions pertaining to the liquor traffic. This
found favor in the eyes of the W. C. T. U., as did also the County
Option Bill of J. F. Jacobson, but both were unsuccessful. George T.
Barr introduced a Municipal Suffrage Bill into the Senate, but too
late for it to be acted upon.

In 1897 Ignatius Donnelly secured the introduction of a bill to
enfranchise taxpaying women. A hearing was given by the Judiciary
Committee, at which Mrs. Nelson argued that in simple justice women
who pay taxes should have a voice in their expenditure or be exempted
from taxation, but the bill was not reported.

This year the State Federation of Clubs secured a resolution to submit
an amendment to the electorate in 1898, giving women the privilege of
voting for and serving on Library Boards.

In 1899 the Local Council of Women of Minneapolis obtained the
Traveling Library Bill.

During this year no petitioning or legislative work was done by the
suffragists. The previous legislature had submitted an amendment,
which carried, providing that all amendments hereafter must receive a
majority of the largest number of votes cast at an election, in order
to be adopted. The precedent had been established in 1875 of requiring
a vote of the electors on the granting of School Suffrage to women,
and in 1898, of Library Suffrage, and it was held that _the same would
have to be done_ on granting Municipal or any other form of the
franchise.

Dower and curtesy were abolished March 9, 1875. If either husband or
wife die without a will, the survivor, if there is issue living, is
entitled to the homestead for life and one-third of the rest of the
real estate in fee-simple, or by such inferior tenure as the deceased
was possessed of, but subject to its just proportion of the debts. If
there are no descendants, the entire real estate goes absolutely to
the survivor. The personal property follows the same rules. If either
husband or wife has wilfully and without just cause deserted and lived
separately from the other for the entire year immediately prior to his
or her decease, such survivor shall not be entitled to any estate
whatever in any of the lands of the deceased.

The estate of a child who dies without a will and leaves neither wife
nor children, goes to the father; if he is dead, to the mother.

The wife can not convey or encumber her separate real estate without
the joinder of her husban