Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-29
Reviews Preceding Actions.

time 10 insure proper protection for Sucn
parade"
Reviews Preceding Actions.
In its report the subcommittee gives a
| history of the movement for the suf-
frage parade. the requests made to the
District authorities for a permit TO hold
the parade. requests made for L. S.
troops to aid in policing the Avenue and
the steps taken by Congress to have the
Avenue cleared. The orders issued by
the superintendent of police for main
ia lining order during the parade are also
Incorporated in the report.
The report continues:
The same instructions regarding the
conduct of the members of the force for
March I were in effect March j:
AT the time these orders were issued
he hour of starting the parade was not
definitely known to the chief of police.
The cars were passing up and down Penn
Isyivana avenue March =. receiving and
discharging passengers until ; O'Clock,
being stopped from entering the Avenue
at the Treasury at $50. but allowed TO
pass out there until =. and the same was
true at the Peace monument Cars also
were crossing the Avenue at various
points until 3 o'clock. These cars were
all crowded Cars passed along the Ave
nue. from II o'clock noon until 2:30 pm"
After presenting a statement showing
the number of cars passing along the
Avenue and crossing 1t at 9TH street, the
report continues:
Because Maj Sylvester tried to per-
suade some of the ladies who called on
him with reference to this parade not to
hold it on the Sd of March, or. if so. to
hold ii on 18th street some have charged
that he was unfriendly to the cause rep
resented by those taking part in the pa
| rade and that he neglected to do his duty
regarding it. We do not think this crit
icism is justified.
Knew Difficulties.
by virtue of his position he knew
better than almost any one else the diff
ficulties that would attend the protection
of parade held under the circumstances
and the ind;gnities to which the paraders
might be subjected. He had a good con-
ception of the size of the crowd that
would be present. it's character and its
disposition. He had had much expert |
ence with inauguration crowds and knew
that with two or three hundred thousand |
people collected from all over the country |
of all classes. and some of them out for a
good time. this crowd would be very diff |
ficult to control. He knew the environ |
ments along Pennsylvania avenue and
the character of many in the crowd who
would congregate there. We are salts |
fed that he made these suggestions to |
these ladies not because of any unfriend- |
Illness to them their cause. but in the |
best of faith and out of respect for them
and those who would take part in the pa |
rade. and his motives should be COM |
mended rather than condemned in the
absence of any proof that he failed to do
his duty public official
The testimony of the Individual pO |
lice officers is all to the effect that they |
understood that these orders were to |
be obeyed literally. and any failure to |
do in any particular was the fault |
alone of the individual policeman.
Total Police Force.
THE total police force for the Dis
trict of Columbia at the time of the
parade was 1898. composed of 81 foot J
privates in uniform. 734 specials and /
the comma ding officers. OF this num- |
Der 266 in blue uniform and $50 spe-
cials. with their commanding officers
or total of 129. were assigned to
care for the parade. and 235 additional
men. who were on duty in connection |
with the reception of the Presidert
elect. gave assistance in connection |
with the parade after this work had i
been performed. making in all $50 men |
who performed duty i'm connection with !
this parade. Eight hundred and forty |
men We're detailed for duty in connec- |
ton with the parade of March 1. ON
the day of the Sd. from the Peace
Monument to 18th street. on Pennsyl- |
vania avenue. there We're detailed for |
duty 245 regulars and $50 specials or |
a total of SIS
Excluding four captains. one lieutenant |
twelve sergeants performing sup6rvi |
sorry duty. the police escort and those in |
the automobiles. this force If placed equ-
distant on each side of the street would |
have placed policeman every thirty or
thirtN-two feet. March l. for duty in the |
same territory. there were detailed lac
regulars and 1871 specials, or a total of
"eI. 1t would seem that there was no
neglect in this respect, and that practi !
cally all the available force of the Dis |
trict was used in connection with this |
parade. Every police officer who testified
said that all the precautions that could
be foreseen as necessary to insure good
order and protection to the parade were
taken. and no one suggested any crit-
cism of their superiors in this respect.
Gave Verbal Directions.
I'm addition to the printed orders. Maj.
Sylvestertraversed the Avenue from the
Peace monument to the Treasury between
l 20 and 80 pm. and gave verbal direc-
tons to many of the officers in command
to proceed to clear the Avenue. No one
suggested to him that this could not be
done. and he was of the opinion that the
force was sufficient to do the work. We
are satisfied that in assigning and direct
ing the police force for the protection of
the parade all precautions under existing
laws were taken that could have been
forseen tob erea sonably necessary.
mo special complaint has been made
concerning conditions about the forma ton
and disba ndment of the parade nor of
conditions south of the Treasury build
ing.
-'rhe testimony clearly shows that con
dtions We're good from the Peace monn |
ment te about IL street. The crowd
was kept well back toward the curb line
and ample space was maintained for the
marchers. The crowd was probably not |
SO large here as farther up the street |
and the officer in charge Lieut.. Duval |
seems to have been very earnest and
active and to have had his men well in
hand He began to clear the Avenue be-
fore 30 The street cars did not dis
charge SO many passengers in this Sec
ton and 1t was not So difficult to clear.
Conditions Unsatisfactory.
THE conditions from about "A street to
18th street were very satisfactory On
much of this part of the Avenue there
was no passage for the parade through
the crowd. An attempt was made To
clear il by the Use of automobiles in
wedge formation under police protection
moving I'm advance at the head of the
parade. This was Immediately followed
| by platoon of mounted police In this
way the people on the Avenue were forced
back toward the curb line and away from
the line of march
The crowd. thus removed from the
1 cAnter OF. the street. Immediately SuIged