The Washington times., 1913-03-10

Of his induction into ONCE, dodSeo III
this case Ae president Of the Boari
of Commissioners, 1t was his duty 20
see that every precaution was taken to
protect the women from ANNOYANCE and
insult, and this duty was emphasized
by the fact that Secretary Stimson had
informed him that the War Department
had been asked to send soldiers to the
city.
/ do not doubt. as / stated in Sat
urday's Times, that. II the truth were
obtainable. it would be found that SJl-
vester acted with perfect under
standing of the feelings and wishes Of
the Commissioners and that the gross
dereiction of duty complained OF waS
simply case OF police discretion"
Let The Times help put the blame
hut along with him, to the strains Of
the doleful march Of public condemna-
tiort, should go Cuno II. Rudolph and
Gen. John A. Johnston.
The following letter from the secre-
tary OF the Stenographers. Typewriters.
Bookkeepers, and Assistants Associa-
ton is addressed to the Commissioners
of the District OF Columbia:
STENOGRAPHERs. TYPEwRITERS.
BOoKKEEPERS. AND
ASSISTANTS ASSOCIATION,
~. T
Il have been instructed by the above
association to enter our protest as to
the conditions prevailing on Pennsyl-
vania avenue during the suffragists'
parade on March 3.
"a number of our members particle
pated in this pageant and were grossly
insulted and it Is our opinion that, as
the heads of our government, this pro-
test should be filed with you. Believing
that you will bring to justice those that
are responsible for the unfortunate
conditions prevailing on the above
date"
To the Editor of THE TIMES:
In the investigation of the details Of
insults offered to women on March 3,
are We not in danger Of forgetting that
the most serious thing is, not that a
large number were compelled to sub
NIT to disgusting indignities. but that
it was a dangerous precedent to let
a vast horde discover that it can with
impunity defy the forces Of law and or
der? An uncontrolled crowd, though
| coarsely good-naturel, is very easily
turned into a mob, and the police au-
thorities ran the gravest risks of posi-
tive riot. The pictures OF the Avenue
on March ought to be sufficient to
| imIress the necessity of investigation
| and the punishment of those responsible.
Moreover. / wish to make a protest
against the insinuations of some who
| are opposed to the enfranchisement OF
women, that We are using the incident
! for purposes of advertisement Do our
| friends, the anti-suffragists, think that
We should have allowed so serious a
lapse in police control to go unrebuked?
Let me ask any fair-minded anti
| what would have been her attitude had
| the pageant been of purely histori-
| cal character to arouse interest in our
! pose of arousing care for the country s
future? ANY intelligent person can
! see that resistance was a duty for the
| safeguarding of the community.
| 1t is not our fault, but our misfor-
tune, that the crowds which occupied
the route of the parade were brutal
| lied by having their respect for wom-
!, anhood lowered. through the power
| given them of insulting intelligent, seri.
GUS and often noble and famous women
| Had they been compelled to watch the
pageant from the curb. its beauty and
little their respect for women. and
| might have saved a few wffe-beafings.
| For in that pageant. BIZ a series of
| pictures whose beauty should arrest the
| to the mind, We hoped to arouse in
J terest and understanding concerning the
I, movement whose onward march we be.
leve to be necessary for the. well-beine
| of this country and the world. Those
pictures were utterly destroyed, and
| the effectiveness of the pageant was
! lost. We wished to make an appeal
to the higher instincts of mankind
/ Instead the appeal has been made fol-
US through an exhibition of the bru'
tality possible to uncontrolled men. II
has made many, formerly Indifferent
realize the serious need Of giving won.
en- the power to hold responsible those
where careless neglect may expose
them at any time to insult and injury
That power lies only in the right tc
vote for those who make and 1os execute
| Washington. D. c.. March Z. 1918.
To the Editor OF THE TINES:
This storm of criticism seems to be
based upon the theory that interference
with the suffrage parade was deliber-
ately planned bv sylvester, and that he
/ gave orders to the police accordingly.
Hhe the people mad? Is misrepresenta-
ti6n to be carried to the point of dismis-
sing as inefficient a man of national
reputation for efficiency?
! ] saw the parade at Seventh street
land saw the police making frantic ef.
forts to keep back the crowd. 1t was
This was the fault of Congress. Where
Sylvester made his mistake was In not
having the United States army to help
him. Nothing less would have got the
crowd behind the ropes at 3 o'clock.
The interference with the parade was
due to a combination of circumstances,
chief OF which was the great public in
terest in the movement. Let us come to
our senses and remember that the Chief
of Police has not been guilty Of any
crime, he has not insulted anybody. and
lie hasn't even spat in anybody's face.
| B. FAIR.
To the Editor OF THE TINES:
! have read with much interest tn,
comments in your paper on the rough
manner in which the marchers In tn,
parade on March were handled b,
the local police. and If 1t had no
been that l happened to be one of tn,
many that viewed the parade Nigh
be of the opinion that the entire polio,
force were of one class, namely.
bunch of ''rowdies.'
kn