To complete the thought...he must know how the vote is going to turn out if he has called out the troops to quell riots.
Who would riot if there was a vote for no tax?
Yes, a window was broken, and someone was dragged out of the building. But, all in all, it was a LOUD, PEACEFUL crowd, from eyewitness reports. The legislators just got scared, and failed to pass the tax.
By the way, the legislators are pretty much well-off lawyers, or gentlemen farmers, etc. If they pass an income tax, they plan to repeal the "Hall Tax", which is a tax on investment income...
Think about it.
Ummmm, think about that.
Cincinnati, LA, Detroit, Seattle, Philly, Liberty City aren't that far away from Nashville. Freeloaders hate to be cut off.
Last time he tried this, he called out the state police to quell a "riot". The actual purpose was to keep people opposed to the income tax away from the legislature while allowing access by pro-tax lobbiests. The state police made the mistake of letting the anti-tax people get close enough to be heard and the legislature voted down the tax.
Evidently, he decided to call out the Guard to make sure the people don't get close enough to be heard.
There is also an implicit threat to the legislature in this action. The governor has told them how he wants them to vote and he has called out troops to surround them. Sounds like none-to-subtle arm-twisting to me.