The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-09-23
COLBY FAILS To
MAKE HIT WITH
TENNESSEE MEN
Committee Calls on Secretary
About 10Th Amendment
GETS NO SATISFACTION
Colby says Success Was Due to Weak
lines on Capitol
Hill.

washington, Sept. 22.-Secretary
of State Colby told members OF the
anti,suffrago delegation from the
Tennessee Legislature who called on
him yesterday and the day before
that the adoption of the Prohibition
and woman suffrage amendments to
the Constitution was due to weak
lings on Capitol Hill" according to
an illuminating and highly entertain-
ing account of what really happened
at this mysterious conference, au
thorized by members OF the delega
tion today.
The Tennessee legislators, who are
Democrats prominent in the State
are mad all through over the way
they were treated by Secretary Col
by, and they don't mind saying so
They hinted very strongly today that
the Secretary was playing politics
but that he did not make a ten strike
with the Democrats of Tennessee.
The de egation was headed by
Speaker Seth NJ. Walker OF the Ten
nessee House, and included Repre-
sentatives Frank f. Hall, Percy
Sharpe and r. w Bratton. The pur.
pose OF the visit was to persuade Mr..
Colby TO make public announce
ment of the fact that he had received
a second certificate from the Cover.
nor Of Tennessee TO the effect that
the lower house had rescinded its
vote ratifying the suffrage amend
ment
Here is statement of what really
happened at the conference as vouch
ed for by members Of the delegation
who were present, which viii be pub,
lished later in the Woman Patriot
an antl-suflrage publication,
"At the first interview the Secre
tary was very cordial to the delega
ton, discussing the suffrage question
at length, declaring that friend had
told him recently that it looks like
woman are inherently and constitu
tionally Republican He also declared
that he did not know anything in the
way of statecraft on which he could
get information Of value from his
wife and daughters, and that the
Eighteenth and Nineteenth amend
ments were due to weaklings on
Cap tol Hill.'
Yes, Mr. Secretary replied Rep
resentative Sharpe, one of those
weaklings is Kenneth d. McKellal
Omitted States Senator from Ten
nessee and a Democrat, and we will
attend to him when the time come,
in Tennessee.
'''Ycu need not feel sad about this
thing, said the Secretary to Speak
er Walker.
Il don't feel sad. feel outraged,
replied Mr.. Walker
"Oh, wen give you something L
square your face down there, sac
Mir Colby EE
80 don't need anything to square
my face INF Tennessee, replied Mr.
Walker, AN We want is the truth
We want YOU to tell the world. The
truth about Tennessee, Why ever
Secretary OF State Fish in 1870 anC
Secretary of state Seward in 1859
bitter partsas as they we're, an
nounced the second actions o
withdrawal by New York, New Jer
sey and Ohio on the Fourteenth ant
Fifteenth amendments, even though
a sufficient number OF States haC
ratified without those States.
The statement goes on to say tina
the delegation never asked Mr.. Col
by to rescind his proclamation of thu
suffrage ratification, but merely Il
anonunce the second action by tn,
| Tennessee House and that he faileC
to do so after promising that HI
would. 1t hints that Mr.. Colby ma!
have had word from the White
House after making the promise.