Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1920-08-28
VOLUME XXXVII, No. AZ
SUFFRAGE FOES WAIT

SUFFRAGE FOES WAIT
Tennessee Speaker Fails to Put Mo.
ton to Reconsider.
House Members Supporting Ratific,,
ton Privileged to Call Up Walker
Proposal-Confident Of Ability to
Table or Defeat 1t. Ants Beaten IN
Attempt to Adjourn to Mondqy.
) Nashville, Tenn, Aug. ,2O.-Suffa.
gists tonight regarded any attempt or
the opposition to lorce the lower
house of Tennessee Legislature TO re-
consider it's action III ratifyng the wo
man suffrage amendment as hopeless
and leaders were claiming that tomor
row night would see the last obstaclo
to certification Of the measure to
Washington swept away.
The only thing that stood III the
way Of u clean-cut victory tonight
was the Walker motion TO reconsider
which was recorded OH the house journ
nj last Wednesday. Speaker Seth Walk
er opposition leader changed his vote
Wednesday from may to AYE" no
the roll call 10 adopt the ratification
Wednesday from may" to AYE" on
mcvo reconsideration and have the
sole privilege Of calling 1t from the
journal during tho next two legisla-
tive d ys.
FINAL ACTION COMES TODAY
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 either to table it or to
defeat it by a negative vote.
Attorney General Thompson and
other parliamentariansz hold that
Speaker Walkers failure to act to-
day settled the question Of reconsider
alton and that the resolution now was
ready for engrossing and certification
to Washington. Others, however, in
cludinf leading suffragists, maintained
that the motion stood on the Journal
as q matter Of record to remove all
doubt 1t must be disposed Of,
Is was with this object In Wow
40 to At, defeated motion Of the op
position to adjourn until Monday
afternoon for tho usual weekend re
cess and forced adjournment only
until tomorrow morning at 10 O'Clock
Seldom in recent, years has either
htu of the legislature held session
on Saturday. Action on the Walker
motion was planned az soon as tho
order of business would permit.
UNCERTAIN OF HIS GROUND.
Mr.. Walker last night declared he
had enough votes pledged to force re
consideration today and have the
fGuse rescind It's action in ratifying
the amendment. But when an oppo
sitlon leader moved adjournment I'M
til Monday it was taken as an indlca
ton that the speaker was not sure OF
hts ground and defeat Of the motion,
by the same majority cast for rat.t
cation Wednesday before he changed
his own vote to faye confirmed this
supposition.
Walker, however, still had chance
to win on the vote planned tomorrow
on his motion for reconsideration
should be persuaded at least two suf
frugists to desert their leaders,. Since
he Is recorded as voting FAYE" he
could himself call the motion from
the journal and after It's adoption
moved 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 success
full, 1t was regarded certain that At
torney General Thompson's opinion,
holding Walkers failure to act today
had settled the question Of reconsid-
Grafton, would be made by the sufra
gists a basis for vehement protest.
COURT ACTION IN PROSPECT.
A victory for the suffragists tomor-
row however does not mean, that the
question OF ratification by Tennes-
see Is out of tho woods. Judge Joseph
Higgins Of Nashville resident Of
the Tennessee Constitutional League
stated today that if the success Of the
suffragists in the House is assured.
no Is prepared to sue out a writ of In
Junction restraining Governor Rob.
erts and the secretary OF State from
certifying the measure to Washing
ton, on the ground that action by
this legislature was In the violation
Of the State constitution. This Is 10
earded In many quarters as presag.
Ing lengthy litigation, for the opinion
Of legal authorities in all parts OF
the country Is sharply divided on I'll"
question involved.
Tie Constitution provides that no
legislature should pass upon a pro.
posed amendment unless it should
have been elected after the proposed
measure had been submitted to ! the
states by Congress. This Legislature