Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-21
TENNESSEE ANTS
FLEE TO ALABAMA,
BREAKING QUORUM
Thirty Steal Over Boundary
in Midniht Journey to .
Prevent House Vote.
SUFFRAGISTS HOPED TO
KILL RECOMMENDATION
Members Unable to Proceed With
Suffrage Program When Time
for Assembling Arrives.

By the Associated Press,
NASHVILLE, Tenn, August IL
Chancellor James b. Newman to-
day issued writ of injunction
temporarily restraining Gov. Hob-
erts, Secretary of State Stevens and
the sneakers of the Tennessee sem
ate and house from certifying to
Secretary of State Colby Tennes-
sees ratification of the woman SUI
frage amendment.
NASHVILLE, August 21.-The lower
house of the Tennessee legislature
could hold no session today for lack
of a quorum. only fifty-nine members
answering roll call. Sixty-six MEM
bers constitute a quorum.
Speaker Walker directed the ser
geant-at-arms to arrest and bring
before the bar of the house all absent
members.
He declared the house in recess for
one hour to give the sergeant at
arms time to round up the aeSentees.
More than thirty members OF the
house opposed to suffrage were miss
ing from their hotels early today ana
were reported to have left mere snort
ly after midnight for Alabama,-ln an
effort to break a quorum of the mouse
ana delay nnaI dclIOn On thS wilma II
suffrage amendment.
Program as Arranged.
Sweeping away of the last obstacle
in the way of certiffcation to WASH
ington of Tennessee's ratification OF
the woman suffrage amendment had
been planned today by suffrage leaders
of the lower house of the legislature.
This was to be accomplished by
calling from the house journal mo-
HnuSa rpcOn slider its 2c-
tion in concurring with the senate's s
adoption of the ratification resolu-
ton. and defeating it either through
a vote on the motion itself or by send
ing it to the table.
The motion was placed on the jour
mai by Speaker Seth Walker last We'd
nesday when he changed his vote on
ratification from may" to aye"
Rights of Sufragists.
Under the rules the speaker alone
had the privilege of calling up the
motion for action during the next two
legislatixs.dsys His failnIs e e d9 is,,!se s.
to call it up.
Some parliamentarians held that
Walkers failure to act ended the mat
ter. but others declared the motion,
now recorded as offered but not acted
upon, must be disposed of before the
suffrage amendment would be~ready
to go to the engroSsing clerk.
Attorney General Thompson was of
the opinion that the ratification vote
no longer could be reconsidered.
He held that house members who
voted for ratification had the privilege
for two days of seeking reconsidera-
tion, and as none did so before ad-
journment yesterday, this opportunity
was lost to them.
LeEnl Contests Predicted.
If anti-suffragists were to muster
enough votes to rescind the ratifica-
,tion vote and on another roll call to
defeat ratification, suffrage advocates
planned to contest the second vote,
hasing their contention of illegality
on Attorney General Thompson
opinion.
If suffragists are victorious in the
end. those opposed to ratification,
Judge Joseph Higgins of Nashville,
president of the Tennessee Constitu-
tional League, has announced, will
seek to restrain Gov. Roberts and the
Tennessee secretary of state from
certifying ratification to Washington
on the ground that the Legislature
g. lacked authority under the state con-
Z stitution to act on ratification.
Arrival mt Decatur.
DECATUR, Ala, August Twenty
five members of the Tennessee house,
which was to take final action upon the
federal suffrage amendment today, ar
rived here early this morning on the
Louisville and Nashville train from
Nashville.