The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-21
RECONSIDERATION
 EFFORT OF ANTS SEEMS HOPELESS
Failure of Walker to Move Reconsideration Yester- day Considered Certain
 Ratification Victory
By Assoclated Press


 Nashville, Tenn, August 20. Suffragists tonight regarded any attempt of the opposition to force the lower house of the Tennessee legislature to recon sider it's action in ratifying the woman suffrage amendment as hopeless, and leaders were claiming that tomorrow night would see the last obstacle to certification Of the measure to Washington swept away. The only thing that stood in the way of clean-cut victory tonight was the Walker motion to reconsider, recorded on the house journal. Speaker Seth Walker. opposition leader, changed h.s vote Wednesday from may" to aye" on the roll call to adopt the ratifica- ton resolution in order that he might move reconsideration and have the sole privilege of calling it from the journal during the next two legislative days. His time-limit expired today and with his failure to act any member who voted aye" on ratification now has the privilege of calling 1t up.
 This the suffrage leaders announced they intended to do tomorrow and they planned to table 1t or to defeat it by a negative vote.
 Attorney General Thompson and other parliame ntarians hold that Speaker Walkers failure to net today settled the question of re- consideration and that the resolu- ton now was ready for engross- ing and certificatiOn to Washing ton.
 MUST BE DISPOSED OF Others. however, including leading suffragists maintained that the mo l tion stood on the journal as a matter of record and uuacted upon, and that to remove all doubts it must be disposed | of. It was with this object in view | that the suffragists today by vote of | 49 to 47 defeated a motion of the op- position to adjourn until Monday after | noon far the usual week end recess and | forced adjournment only until tomor- | row morning at 10 o'clock. Seldom in | recent years has either house of the 1 legislature held a session on Saturday. | Action on the Walker motion was planned as soon as the order of bust- ness would permit MT. Walker last night declared he had enough votes pledged to force re- consideration today and have the house | amendment. But when an opposition l leader moxcA adjournment until Mons 1 cay | was taken as an Indication that the speaker vas not sure of his ground and defeat of the motion by the same majority cast for ratification Wednes- day before he changed his own vote to | aye" confirmed this supposition.
 Walker, however. still had chance to win on the vote planned tomor- row on his motion for reconsideration should he persuade at least two sur- fragists to desert their leaders.
 BREAK NOT FEARED
 Since he is recorded as voting "aye- he could himself call the motion from the journal and after it's adoption move that the house reverse itself on ratification. Suffragists, however, did not fear break in their ranks and were confident they would dispose of the Walker motion as they had planned. Should the opposition be successful it was regarded certain Attorney Gen eral Thompsons opinion that Walkers failure to act today had settled the lquestion of reconsideration, would be made by the suffragsts basis for vehement protesr
 A victory for the suffrag gists tomor- row. however. does not mean that the question of ratification by Tennessee
 is out of the woods. Judge Joseph Higgins of Nashville, president of tho Tennessee Constitutional League, said today that if the success of the suf- fragists in the house is assured he is prepared to sue out q writ of injunc- tion restraining Governor Roberts and the secretary of state from certifying the measure to Washington on tho ground that action by this legislature was in violation of the state constitu- ton. This Is regarded in many quarters as presaging lengthy litigation for the opinion of legal authorities in all parts of the country is sharply divided on the question involved
 CONSTITUTION PROVISIONS
 The constitution provides that no leg islature should pass upon proposed amendment unless 1t should have been elec,eo after the proposed measure had hec,. submitted to the states by Con- gross This legislature was elected in | November 1918. Congress submitted the suffrage amendments months later,
 Governor Roberts called the special session to act on the amendment only after receiving opinions of ". L. Frier- ron, solicitor general of the United State. snd Attorney General Thomp- son, that decision of the supreme court of the United States Tn holding iinvalid referendum clause in the ohie constitution also served to nullify the clause of the Tennessee constitution in question. Many authorities man. tain the two cases are not parallel an( every effort to have the validity o1 lthe Tennessee provision upheld is ex- pected, Terms Are Reflected By