The Washington herald., 1913-04-08
women MARCH
T0CAP|T0L and
ASKFOR BALLOT
SuHragists, After Enthusiastic
Meeting, Are Greeted by
Congressman.
BIG PETITION PRESENTED
Police Protection the Pink Of Perfec.
tion on Occasion Of the
Parade to Dome.
BIG PETITION PRESENTED

! The elimination of the efforts of the
suffragists for the last four months was
reached yesterday when 521 women
stormed the Capitol and deluged the new
| Congress with hundreds of petitions ask
| ing for submission to the States of a
constitutional amendment giving women
| the ballot
This has been the goal of the women in
| their recent activities. The long months
OF speechmaking; the jaunts of the army
Of Gen" Rosalie Jones. and the pageant
| of March 3, were merely incidental to this
demonstration. They were arranged
merely to focus the attention of the ma
| ton, and especially of the incoming Con-
gress, on the march of yesterday and the
demand for which it stands.
1t was an orderly march. Unlike the
parade of March 8, there was no diff.
Guilty with the crowds along Pennsyi-
vania Avenue. The women reached the
Capitol in good order.
Met Mt Capitol steps.
Representative Bryan, Progressive,
from Washington, met their leader. Miss
Alice Paul. at the top of the steps lead
ing into the rotunda from the east front
Of the Capitol. Pledging the support OF
himself and party to the women's cause,
Mr. Bryan promised that 'the flag OF
equality and justice you are planting to-
DAY at the National Capitol will never be
hauled down until tine slogan votes tor
women becomes obsolete"
Within the rotunda many Senators and
Representatives had gathered to receive
the women. Among them were Senators
Sutherland, Borah, Brady. Ashurst,
Works, Jones, Clapp, Dixon, Chamberlain,
Warren, La Toilette, Poindexter, and
Clark, and Representatives Hobson, Tay-
lor, Stephens, Linthicum, Roberts, Haw-
ley, Howell, Humphrey, and Nelson OF
Wisconsin.
Several Senators and Representatives
assembled in the rotunda added an unex-
pected feature to the event by making
short addresses to the officers of the suf-
fragists, pledging sympathy and support.
AS the women formed into line before
the Columbia Theater shortly after III
O'clock they found heavy detachments of
police ready to guard them. In his de-
termination to give the women no chance
to complain of lack Of protection, Maj.
Richard Sylvester, superintendent of po-
lice, practically had assigned every avail
able man upon his force TO duty as suf-
fragist body guard. The major directed
the start of the parade in person.
A squadron of ten mounted police pre-
ceded the marchers. and an almost solid
line of police stood between them and the
crowds all the way to the Capitol. The
suffragists' parade of yesterday probably
was the best guarded event of its kind
that the Capital has ever witnessed.
Police Are Everywhere.
There were go patrolmen. 40 mounted
police and so bicycle police intrusted
with the protection of the suffragists
They marched before. they marched be-
hind, and they marched in long double
files on each side. They stood at the
III Of p1N- fa
chrbs along the entire route, and as the
women proceeded up the Avenue the
police fell in the rear, inclosing the
women marchers behind an impossible
wall.
When this calvacade reached the Cap
itol it looked like a skirmish line pre-
pared for battle. and it was strong
enough 10 have undertaken a good-siZed
battle with chance for honors.
Crowds packed the streets to witness
the proce ssion, but never a Jest nor an
epithet was hurled at the marchers. The
crowd was serious and silent. For each
suffragist and three-Quarters there was
one policeman. There was no disorder.
The parade was formed upon the con-
clusion of mass meeting held in the
Columbia Theater. at which the best
speakers among the suffragists stirred
the marchers to high enthusiasm, telling
them never TO desist from the fight until
the goal was won. Miss Alice Paul pre-
sided at the meeting. She told them
that, as the President had refused to
make their demands known to the men,
bers of Congress in his message, the
women themselves must take them there. |
Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw, Mrs. Beatrice
Forbes Robertson Hale, and Miss Janet
Richards followed her.
Arrival Mt Capitol.
Arriving at the Peace Monument, the
marchers deposited their pennants on the
ground and went up the long walk to
the Capitol terrace. DR.. Cora Smith |
King, of Washington, was the first wom- |
an to deposit petition. 1t was ad-
dressed to Representative Falconer OF
Washington. A moment later Henrietta
C. LYMAN of Wisconsin, a personal |
friend of Mrs Robert La Toilette, had |
pressed her petition into Senator La Fol- |
lette's hands and listened to his assur- |
ance that he was in the fight for equal |
suffrage Directly behind came Mrs |
caro- G. Moore wife of Commodore |
Moore. and Mrs. Ernest z. Roberts, wife |
of Representative Roberts of Massachu- |
setts, and the leaders.
Petitions were delivered to members Of |
the House and Senate by the pages |
After depositing their messages. $50 lead |
ers of the suffragists occupied seats In
the Senate gallery, while the others pro- |
ceeded up B Street, where they held sew |
eral open-air meetings and continued |
their arguments for more than an hour /
for "votes for women These meetings 1
only broke up when the speakers could |
no longer stand the pangs of hunger.
Sample of Petition.
The following is a sample of the petit
tons presented to Congress:
1--WE ask you in behalf of the women
Of your district to work for the national |
suffrage amendment in the coming spe-
cial session of Congress for the following.
rea sons:
Some State constitutions are practi-