The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-20
47 MEMBERS OF HOUSE PLEDGED ID RECONSIDER Mass Meeting Electrified By Reading of Cox Letter
 Discussing Section of
 Constitution
RN Assaciafad Praxa

By Associated Prsss
 Nashville, August 19. -- The Tennessee house tomorrow will rescind its action of yesterday in ratifying the federal suf- frage amendment, Speaker Seth Walker, leader of the op- position, declared tonight at a mass meeting of Nashville citi- zens opposed to suffrage.
 Mir. Walker declared forty-seven
 members of the house already had
 signed a pledge to reconsider, that
 three more would sign tonight and
 that several others were expected
 to join them before the house
 meets tomorrow.
 Another event which electrified the audience of more than 1000 persons was the reading of hitherto unpub- lished letter from Governor Cox, the democratic presidential nominee. under date of August 10 to Giles L. Evans. at Fayetteville, Tenn, president of the Tennessee Bar Association, in which the nominee discussed section 32 ar- ticle ?. of the Tennessee constitution.
 Upon this clause is based the con- tention of suffrage opponents that this legislature had no legal right to pass upon the amendment The article provides that no assembly should act upon a proposed amendment unless 1t should have been elected after submits sion of the measure to the states by Congress. The legislature was elected in November, 1918. and the amendment was not submitted until several months later.
 Mir. Evans had written Governor Cox explaining the provision and asking for an opinion.
 OPINION OF COX
 T know enough of the south, or at least believe I do, to appreciate your feeling with reference to your own internal affairs" the nominee replied. Our platform has made a very posi-. tive declaration on the nineteenth amendment and, as you will at once recognize. the policy of that docu- ment becomes my own as well. At the same time l shall endeavor to speak the policy of the platform to maintain the propreties which your letter sets forth
 "I have no hesitation in saying
 thnt section 32 of article two of the
 Tennessee constitution Is a very
 wise plan. It ought to be adopted
 in all states. Whether it is is con-
 fiict with the federal constitution
 as recently interpreted Is another
 matter. Most lawyers with whom
 h0N taI ked he haf f&
 However, It fs not within my
 providence to make this deciara-
 tiOn."
 At the close of the meeting resoiu- tions were adopted requesting members of the house to support the motion of Speaker Walker to reconsider the ratification measure.
 CHANGED OWN VOTE
 The vote in the house when it con- cured In the action of the senate and completed ratification was f9 to 41, Mir. Walker, in order to reserve to him. self alone the privilege of moving for reconsideration during the two legis- lative days following changed his vote from may" to aye" and the roll call was recorded as 50 to 4s.
 The speaker did not attempt today to move for reconsideration. but must do so before adjournment tomorrow if he would reserve the sole right of taking such action. After that time any member of the house may offer such a motion, and it was expected the suffra gists. if still in the majority. would do so on Monday. the next legis- lative day another sunragist would offer motion that the motion to re- consider be tabled, this would be ef- fected and the parliamentary struggle be at an end.
 The house has membership of ninety nine and the vote of the ninety six present yesterday gave the suffra- gists a majority of only two. They claimed. however that two of the ab- sent solons were suffrage advocates, and their presence tomorrow, if the opposition failed to add to theft strength, would afford them a maS--.s~ of four.
 If as MT Walker declared, three additional members were to join the forty seven pledged to rescind ratihca- tion. the opposition would have a safe majority and the upsetting of ratifica- ton would be impossible to head off.