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Show COURT REFUSES i PLEA TO BLOCK iirs VOTE Disclaims Authority to Pass on Validity of PjQgjsed Federal Amendment WASHINGTON. July 13. Justice ! Ilailey. In the District of Columbia supreme court, today dismissed pro-; pro-; ceedlngs brought by Charles Kalr- childs. of New fork, president j the American Constitutional league. to prevc.it the promulgation of the : ratification of the suffrage amendment amend-ment and to test the alldlty of the equal suffrage law. The court held that It was without authority to inquire Into the action of the state legislatures in ratifflng the ; suffrage amendment and that U ha 1 . no nuthoritf to pass upon the validity of such an amendment; Sir. Palr-chllds Palr-chllds Indicated he would uppeal to the supreme court of the L'nltcd States. PROCLAMATION NOT IMMIMM The court's action followed a petition peti-tion by Balnbrldaje Coifey, secretary of state, and A. Mitchell Palmer, at- 1 torney -general i to dismiss the proceedings. pro-ceedings. Edward Wheeler of New York, argued for the plaintiff and Sollcltor-' Sollcltor-' General Frlerson and Assistant t'nlteo Slates Attorney Arc her appear 1 for ; the government officials. Government counsel pointed out ; that the necessary number i' states , have not notified the Secretary oi , state of the ratification of the suffrage 'amendment and that therefore no proclamation Is Imminent. , WORK ON M n i SSKE NASHVILLE. Tenn . Ju.y 13. Ro-I Ro-I tqsal of Governor Clements Of Ver-, Ver-, mom to call a special session of the legislature to act on the federal woman wo-man sullrage amendment caused sup-. sup-. porters of the proposal to redouble their efforts to obtain favorable ac-, ac-, tlon by the Tennessee general asscm- ! iy- Although Governor Roberts has announced an-nounced ho would convene the legisla-' legisla-' ture on August 9, he hers not yet issued u form 1 1 call for the session. He has explained that he was waiting wait-ing for niember.-i of the assembly to notify htm of . additional legislation ; they wished Included In tin Call, which must be Issued at least twenty I days be'nro th dale of mbllng. The house is generally considered to be for ratification of the suffrage amendment by a safe margin, while I the senate Is regarded as close The statt suffrage law enacted in 1919, 1 passed the house by a majority of i twenty and the senate by a one vote margin Several members of the senate have ! since resigned while some who opposed op-posed the state rights bill now are said to favor ratification of the federal fed-eral amendment and several others, who voted for the state bill, nre reported re-ported to be hostile to federal enfranchisement en-franchisement of women. n ACTION FROM FLORIDA. PENSACOLA. Fla.. July 12. Governor Gov-ernor Gaits has refused to call a special session of the Florida leflsla I ture to act on woman suffrago local suffrage leaders announced tonioht. They said the governor contended such action would be useless. Tho suifraglsts announced receipt of a telegram from the governor which, they said, read as follows. 1 tried lo get this through tho last session The s.mu -mbcrs con- jlilutc the legislature now and an ox- tfa session would be useless." |