Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-01
Washington
' ' LETTER
BY n. n WALKER
GALLANT TO sUFFRAoIsTS
BY II. n v
Star Stan Correspondent.
Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg
WASHINGTON, Aug. L.

WARRINGTON, Aug. i.
With the galleries filled with women
wearing yellow. blue and white sashes
and badges, Representatives of the
suffrage movement in many States,
the United States Senate laid aside
the tariff bill and for two hours
senators of a score of States presented
petitions asking for votes for women.
In sending to the Yice-President's
desk these rolls of signatures, tied
with yellow ribbon, most of the sena-
tors made speeches favoring general
suffrage.
When the women in the galleries
approved the sentiments expressed.
they applauded, despite the rules of
Senate, which prohibit demonstra-
ton from the galleries. When they
applauded, the Senate smiled and
waited No senator moved to en-
force the rules, there was not even
an admonition from the presiding
officer, the ice-President of the
United States, and the few veteran
gallery keepers who, shocked by the
infraction of rules and violation of
all Senate traditions, sought to re-
strain the applause, were ignored.
Never has history recorded such a
spectacle in the history of this, or
perhaps of any other country.
Pending in the Senate Is a bill,
Senate joint resolution number one,
which proposes that the constitution
of the United States shall be amended
to permit women to vote for Presi-
dent, Vice-President, United States
senators and representatives. A Sen
ate committee has reported this bill
favorably to the Senate, for passage.
In time, it will be brought to a vote,
and it looks very much as if 1t would
be passed. The women who came to
the capitol yesterday, from various
States, brought petitions signed by
upwards of $4,000 men, asking that
this bill shall pass. and that the legis-
latures of the several States shall be
asked to ratify a constitutional
amendment giving women and men
equal political rights in the Federal
government.
More Police Than Suffragists.
Highly significant of the progress of
the suffrage movement throughout
the country was yesterdays demon
stration. 1t was not highly spectacu-
lar. There was a parade, with some
hundred or more be-bannered auto
mobiles in line. In them rode men
and women prominent in suffrage
agitation throughout the country.
They gathered in the morning at
Hyattsyille, a little town few miles
fol 1FN1 fI.A
streets of Washington, but the pa
rade was not sensational. There was
no attempt at a big demonstration.
The Washington chief of police,
who on March last had allowed
thousands of women on foot to strug-
gle, almost without police protection,
through a bowling mob of male and
female rowdies along Pennsylvania
avenue, turned out the whole police
department yesterday to escort this
little band of suffragists in autos.
The police were not needed, but there
were more of them than of the suf-
fragists. For q second time, the po-
lice chief was making reparation.
An anti-suffra gist himself, he mad
learned that the suffrage cause Is not
one to be insulted or lightly treated
by political office-holders who like
their jobs.
Wives and daughters of senators
and congressman, bankers and pro-
fessional men, sat in the galleries
with working girls and the wives of
nobody in particular, and listened to
the speeches of senators who upheld
the principle of equal rights for the
sexes. The gathering in the galleries
was democratic, non-sectional and
without class distinction. The sena-
tors who pleaded on the floor of the
Senate were of all parties.
Just to Please the Ladies'.
But the significance of the event
was more than superficial. Some
senators there were, courtly and dig
nified defenders of State rights and
the old idea of "women's proper
sphere" who CALAMITY presented the
petitions with smiling knight erran-
try, the while protesting their abhor-
renee of the idea of women In pontlcs,
but declaring their Willingness TO
please the ladies. These few, how
ever were so overwhelmed by the
number of senator's, of both parties,
representatives of a newer day and
thought in democracy, that their pro-
tests attracted but passing attention.
"They say that women cannot bear
arms" shouted Senator sherman, OF
Illinois, but I say to you that in war
time the men who bear arms nave the
GA sier duty, | would rather have car
ried a musket in the Civil War than
to have been the woman sitting at
home waiting for news :,
"They say that the bad women VIII
control elections" said Senator Shat-
roth. of Colorado, where women have
voted for years. THE reverse is true.
We know in our State. How can such
a thing be true? There are so few
had women, comparatively, only from
one-half to one per cent. of the women
of our State are in this class, and
80 per cent of the women of Colorado
vote"
Urge Equal Political Rights.
La Toilette, of Wisconsin; Clapp,
of Minnesota; PoindeXter, of Wash
ington: Lane, of oregon, who told
the Senate that he, his wife and two
daughters were "all registered
voters" Pomerene, of Ohio; Thomp-
son, Of Kansas; Smith and Town
send, of Michigan; Owen, of Okla
homa; Warren, of Wyoming-these
were some of the senators who yes
terday urged that the sexes should,
as a matter of right and Justice. be
given equal political rights.
THE constitution of the United
States declares that all native-born
and naturalized citizens over the
age of q are citizens, with equal
rights" said the Kansan. 81 have
oftap u,opd If the women of