Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 4.djvu/839

 friends had dispersed, the vote was reconsidered and the bill amended to 16 years, passing both Houses in this form. The 'penalty is imprisonment for life, or for any such period as the court shall direct, no minimum penalty being named.

When at the close of the Civil War the States eliminated the word "white" from their constitutions, Michigan in 1867 amended her School 'Law to conform and also struck out the word "male" as a qualification for the suffrage, and gave taxpaying women a vote for school trustees. In 1881 this law was further amended to include parents or guardians of children of school age. No woman can vote for county or State Superintendents, as these officers are provided for under the constitution. 'Tax-paying women may also vote on bonds and appropriations for school purposes.

The year of 1888 was marked by a test of the constitutionality of this School Law, which involved the right of the Legislature to confer any form of suffrage whatever upon women. The test was made through the prosecution of the inspectors of election of the city of Flint by Mrs. Eva R. Belles, whose vote was refused at a school election, she being a qualified voter under the State flaw. Mrs. Belles won her case which was then appealed to the Supreme Court. This affirmed the decision of the lower court and sustained the law.

In May, 1893, the Legislature conferred Municipal Suffrage on women, but in October the Supreme Court decided it unconstitutional on the ground that "the Legislature had no authority to create a new class of voters." (See Legislative Action.) The Court held that it could, however, confer School Suffrage as "the whole primary school system is confided to the Legislature and its officers are not mentioned in the constitution." By this decision women can have no other form of the franchise except by constitutional amendment.


 * Hundreds of women are serving as officers and members of school boards throughout the State, as township school inspectors and as county school commissioners and examiners. A number are acting as deputy county clerks, and one as