The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-08-18
Speaker Seth Walker, Strong
est Anti, Proves in Nick
of Time a Real Benefit
to Cause. 4
HOUSE VOTES so TO As
Miller, of Hamilton, Reiter-
ates Charge That Special
Interests Were at Work
Against Suffrage.
. Against Suffrage.
~ G. =. MILTON, JR., Special Cor.


(6Y g. =. MILTON, JR., Special Cor.
respondent OF I. NJ. 81
Nashville, Aug. 1S.-Tennessee Is al
the present moment ratified, but at any
time in the next forty eight hours the
antis by majority y,,v;d, vote of the house
This is the opinion, of Charles 7.
Gates. of Knoxville, for years attorney
general Of Tennessee.
Leaders Of both forces are holding
their men in line. An effort OF some
suffrage men to go home has been
checked by leaders.
Speaker Seth Walker refused to COM
meat on the situation n i had hs my say
He congratulated one of his opponents
by "Well. you licked u.s."
y The suffrage men do not Intend 10
be caught mapping, however, the next
two days. They declare they can block
any reconsideration by accessions OF
new strength in addition to the orig
inal forty mine.
Joe Hsnoysr Shelby county, ws Tsti5es Ses,
secret influences from Maine to Cali
fornia concentrated in Nashville to de-
feat the Nineteenth amendment in to-
days vote in the house.
''Walker burned his bridges behind
him when he changed mis- vote from no
to aye and gave us constitutional
majority.
1--WE are watching the. next two days
cArefuIIY, Out are CERTAIN Oui WIZ pia
reconsideration will be greater than
United States Senator X. D. Nickel
lar, leader in the = fight, was mghly
elated at the result. But we are 3
watching the next Two DAYS Closely
he commented.
Statements on ratification which had
been issued by Mrs. Carrie Chapman
Gait, president of the National Amer,
can Woman Suffrage association, ana
Miss Sue White, Tennessee leader ior
the national woman's party, have been
withdrawn until after Friday
Nashville. Aug. iS.--The house OF rep
resentatives on The suffrage amendment
TODAY voted 40 to AZ in favor of ratifi--
cation Speaker Walker. who had voted
s.no," changed his vote from no to aye
making it so to 46 at the same time
making a motion for reconsideration.
The house adjourned until lO:S) O'CLOCK
Thursday.
The motion to reconsider can be
brought up any time within the next
two Legislative days.
The suffrage leaders are confident
that on the reconsideration motion
they will have two votes they ola
not have today, and are certain
that today's victory will not be
snatched from their grasp.
The ratification followed two votes
on tabIing the resolution in both OF
which the forces of each side stoQo
tied, 48 to 4S. not man shifthg
his vote. Then Immediately followed
the ratification vote, Boyd, who had
voted to table voted aye. This gave
a shift. of one in the lineup. The rest
81 the ranks held firm, but Boyd's vote
made the totals 40 TO AZ.
Walkers shift.
The speaker did not announce the
vote result for a minute or so ana was
careful to recognize Speaker walker,
so that he could change his vote and
nut In his reconsideration motion.
Walkers shift. however. made the ma
jority a constitutional one. somethtng
ratificationists had been fearful they
would not obtain
BOMB EXPLODED.
A tremendous burst Of applause
followed the announcement Of the
vote. There had been tense mo-
ment In the roll call. Banks Turner
had twice voted "no" on tablIng the
resolution. When the ratification
roll call reached him Speaker
Walker was sitting by his side talk
Ina earnestly TO him. He passed his
vote. When the roll call ended, he
rose. Ills vote had been feared by
suffraqC leaders, as the antis have
been after him increasingly for the
past week. There was tense
silence In the house. A mo" from
Turner could tie the vote and lose
the suffrage cause. "Mr. Speaker.
! desire to be recorded as voting
aye he called cut to the wrath OF
the antls. Turner's unshaken stand
by his pledge was cheered again and
again by the packed galleries.
The ratification resolution cannot be
reported to Secretary Of State Colby
until all chance Of reconsideration is
over so two days more OF tremendous
tension remains before the ratification
Is absolutely complete. II came at the
close of ten days Of the bitterest con-
fict ever held in the Tennessee legis-
lature, during which suffrage opponents
used every might and legislative trick
to block ratification: during which II
was freely charged by suffrage MEM
bers that "the interests" had banded
.together TO defeat the amendment. In
fact.s Representative L. n Miller. OF
Hamilton county, TODAY CHARGED that
the Same interests which had con-
trolled the legislature were on hand 10
\ block suffrage. He asserted that the
same men who had lobbied whatever
they wanted through were in Nashville
thon 20 defeat ratification. and appealed
vehemently 20 the house to prove its
purity by its ratification.
Then Il was that Speaker Walker
made an impassioned assault on suf-
trace. ending by moving that the reso-
luton Eo where Il has belonged-to the
table" There was an instant turmoil
The vote would determine the fate ~
suffraRe-whether 1000 900 women who
not cpnttot vote would he allowed 20
cast their ballot in November would be
determined by the vote.
When the roT call was called women
began to sob The tension was SO great
that the members were affected 10 stil
silence. Most Of them cast their ave
or no in n conversational tone. When
a ringing mo" came from = suffrage
man who n had heen feared had
wohbled the suffragists cheered TO fhe
echo.
House Provides.
The house opened with but two meTn-
hers absent Rule IL was again en-
forced 20 clear the house of suffrage
WOMEN. The ratification resolution ini-
n,ediately came ZIP. The debate stop
yned bv Tuesdays adjournment was
= Immediately taken M. Representative
TUCKER leading on for ratificationistf.
Representative Miller renewed the
charge that special interests were Al
work 10 block ratification. He charged
that err~iai interests which bad com
trolled Tennessee legislatures for fifty