Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-21
TENNESSEE 36TH
STATE To RAT|FY
18TH AMENDMENT
Vote in Tennessee House Is
30 to 46 for Ratification,
Mr. Walker Lays Plans
to Ask Reconsideration

| WI ~ Cii\O' IVY v iS<'' y
to Ask Reconsideration
| NASHVILLE, Tenn, Aug. 18.-Ten
nessee, the thirty-sixth state, rati
fed the federal woman suffrag
amendment today, the house by
vote of so to 46 concurring in tn,
action of the senate, which vote,
| favorably last week.
The constitutional change thu:
will become effective in time for tn,
100000 women of the country t.
vote in the presidential. election il
November unless the lower house o.
the assembly rescinds it's action.
Speaker Walker, leader of the anti
sutfragists, put opponents in a posi-
| ton to demand reconsideration b,
changing his vote from nay to ay,
and moving to reconsider The hous,
adjourned until 10 O'Clock tomorrow
| when the speakers motion will have
the right of way. Suffrage and anti
suffrage forces frightened their line.
this afternoon for the final fight ant
both sides were claiming victory.
For a few moments just befor,
a vote was ordered on the resolu
ton to concur in the senate actor
many leaders of both sides, includ
ing Speaker Walker, were certain the
amendment had been rejected. Thi.
came on a motion to table the resolu.
| tinn xrhjo
| pectedly
| AT the conclusion of the roll call
leaders who were checking" ballots
| as the members voted had a tota,
OF AZ In favor of tabling and At In
the negative. The clerk of the house
announced his ballot showed a tie OF
4S to AZ. The house was in an I'm.
roar and it was several minutes he
lore the speaker pro tenn was able
10 order another ballot. The second
pallot was tie, 48 to 48, and The
motion was lost
A vote on the motion to concu,
with the senate was ordered i1nnoa.
diately, the opposition expecting .
ne vote, in which event the motion
would nave been lost and ratifica tin1,
would nave been rejected. There was
d preak in the ranks of the antfs,
t ibo"e YET one OF them voting with
the sunraS1sts, and the motion car.
rled, 40 to At. With announcement
OF the result, Speaker Walker
changed his vote to AYE" in order
10 nave 1t entered on the ionrna,
giving MIN the privilege of mov1nr
etnod e5CGonslaerat1on, and the cotinr
oo FOR a minute after the vote was
called ca it looked as if it was a tie tie
IL would have been, but Representa-
tive Harry Burns, of McMinn conn
y, Immediately announced he
T Gnhainged his vote from mo" to AYE.
Th1s gave victory for the resolution
OF ratification. Mr.. Burns is the
youngest representative in the house
ANY attempt Mr.. Walker NAV make
20 20 nave the action reconsidered must
oe maze within the next two days.
Legality Questioned
Legality of ratifica ton, is question
ed by many legal authorities and
leaders of the anti-suffragists have
announced repeatedly that should
tennessee ratify, an appeal to the
courts would be made immediately
on the ground that the Legislature,
elected prior to submission of the
amendment OF the states by congress,
mad no right to act because of state
constitutional inhibition. The con-
st1tut1on provides that no legislature
snail pass upon an amendment un-
less 1t should have been elected after
submission
Others contend that decision of
the supreme court of the United
states holding void a clause of the
Ohio constitution relating to referen-
dums on amendments also utilities
the provision of the Tennessee legis-
latton in question. The fight of the
antl-suffrage element throughout the
contest was based largely on the con.
tention that action by this legisla-
ture would be in violation of the
state constitution.
Speaker Walkers action in chang
ing his vote to AYE" giving suf-
frage the constitutional majority OF
atts s ON eg hs Of of
this issue had the suffragists polled
majority of less than fifty votes.
The state attorney general had
ruled that majority of the members
present, and not the constitutional
majority, was sufficient for ratifica-
ton or rejection.
The anti-suffragists Immediately
will begin work to get a reconsidera-
ton and will attempt to make the
changes needed to turn defeat into
victory.
Women now will be able to vote in
| the November elections on equality
with men, unless the amendment is
| blocked in the courts or reconsid-
Grafton changes the result.
The session was one of the storm
lest in the history of the legisla-
| ture/ Time and time again the SER
geant-at-arms was employed to re-
| store order Speaker Walker and
Representative Riddick, when the mo-
| ton to table was up, engaged in an
| alteration that looked like it might
| develop into a fight and the sergeant
at arms and several members rushed
to them
Spectators hooted, cheered and
| Missed when the faction to which
| thew adhered scored a point. This
made the transaction of business
difficuIt. The speaker threatened at
one time to adjourn the house IN
less the members took their seats
/ Several had to be persuaded by the
A legal attack will be made or
suffrage, according to the o1ticegS,
league, which is composed OF Law.
vers, The argument will be that the
| state constitution forbids action al
| this session of the legislature.
Aside from this and the possibility
of a change in the result through
reconsideration, the. only step re.
naming to make the nineteenth
amendment operative is the promul'
CATION of decree from the secretary
1000 900 Women Voters
| Suffragists estimated there are
| 27.OOO.000 women voters in the coun-
try. Seven millions of these already
had presidential suffrage through
state action and 100000 had loca
| suffrage.
Tennessee has ended our fight
for political freedom and our graft
| tude to her is bonndless," said Miss
| Sue S. White, Tennessee chairman
of the national woman's party 1--WE
have had a close fight, but Tennessee
men and Tennessee women have me-
the great responsibility that was