Evening times-Republican., 1913-10-22
"suFF" EaEETlNGAF FlzZlE
Only 5000 Of Expected $4,000 people
Go to Mrs. Pankhurst's Meeting
Admission Charged, Collection TAX
on, and Audience scrambles for Seats
Down in Front, Regardless Of Price.

Down in Front, Regardless Of Price.
New York, Oct. 22.-There was dis
appointment for Mrs. Emmeline Pank-
hurst, the militant leader from London.
who was released from Ellis island on
Monday, and signs of regret from the
Madison Square Garden management
when Mrs. Pankhurst came on the
stage last night to make her first pub
lie appearance of her present tour be-
fore an audience that In point of num-
bers fell far below expectations.
Far up in the highest of the galleries
where the seats sold for so cents, there
were few vacant spots to be seen. In
the dollar seats on the tier below only
a fraction Of the chairs were taken.
The s1.5O seats held only struggling
contingent, and Of the great oval boxes
around the arena only four were occu-
pied before Mrs. Pankhurst was in
troduced
been paved with chairs in close rows
selling at $3.50 and 81. The small sec
ton of $3.50 seats directly in front of
the platform were fairly we'll filed. but
on the entire floor there were perhaps
three times as many empty chairs as
there were occupied seats.
Instead Of crowd Of 'about 1900
which members of the Garden forces
had said could be.sseated, there We're
not more than 5000 persons IL the
great building. Many who have had
experience in judging the size of audi
|ences put the number at lower than
5000.
Added to the small audience was the
fact that many persons were sorely
discontented when, while Charles Ed
ward Russell, Socialist candidate for
mayor, was making the Introductory
remarks for Mrs. Pankhurst, those in
the 50-cent seats, in the 81 and $3.50
seats poured down into the main floor
and began to take the 50 and $3.50
seats, regardless Of the ushers or what
they paid.
Martin w. Littleton was among
others who found this an imposition.
Mr.. Littleton sent this letter to the
newspaper men:
u just paid $3.50 apiece for three
tickets to hear Mrs. Pankhurst, and
had no sooner got seated when every
body from everywhere by some signal
which evidently was agreed on in ad-
vance tumbled helter- -skelter into any
seat for little or nothing.
"These people were just as good
people as I am, and probably in many
cases better, but the point am driving
at is this: Must everything and ev
erybody be a humbug? Is this mon
ey making affair?
II left this hall because I did not
wish to hear any more arguments
about rights when the whole meeting
was manifestly planned to sell rights
and give them without discrimination.
The whole arrangement is simply dis
honest.
Martin w. Littleton."
This communication was passed to
Mrs. o. H. P. Belmont who sat next
to Mrs. Pankhurst at the time. On it
was written in pencil: Mrs. Belmont
will you please give the press an
answer to this?"
Mrs. Belmont refused to comment
on the missive.
Gloom filed the place even before
Mrs. Pankhurst and Mrs. Belmont
reached the scene. The suffragists had
hoped to have real circus turn
away before Mrs Pankhurst put in
appearance. Not so: New York was
busy elsewhere, and the atmosphere Of
militant movement. True, in some
sections Of the hall there was enthus-
iasm when Mrs. Pankhurst denounced
leading politicians and statesmen Of
England. But Mrs. Pankhurst drove
home point after point in her argu-
ment
"Shames!" were not as loud nearly
as they were at the Woman's Political
Union dinner Monday night. The Kisses
and hoots were mild indeed. And
these came mostly from the drilled
suffra gists, who knew much about
Premier. Asquitn and Reginald Nc
Kenna, homo secretary Of the British
empire.
Few persons contributed to the col
lection when Mrs. Pankhurst an
nounced that while 1t was being taken
IN. she would answer questions from
persons in the audience. Thereupon
the audience carelessly forgot the col
lection and. devoted its attention to
heckling Mrs. Pankhurst or listening
to the questions and answers.
Catholic Congress Closes.
Boston, Oct. 22.-Archbishop Bruch-
es!. Of Montreal, presided at a colon
les session" which opened the final day