The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-09
SUFFRAGETTES LAY
COMPLAINTS BEFORE
SENATE COMMITTEE
Continued from page one)

sion to the committee room where the
| hearing was held. Before the doors were
opened the crowd was sufficient to fill
/ the big room. Policemen stood at the
doors. These had trouble checking the
crush.
The first witnesses who appeared in de-
fense of police methods were greeted with
ridicue and in some cases with Kisses
when their testimony differed with that
given by the suffrage witnesses. AT times
the committee members had difficulty in
maintaining order in the room.
George S. Garfield of Spokane, Wash,
Commodore w. s. Moore and Judge
Henry D. Pierce of indianapolis testified
the police methods were lax and made
quate.
Judge Pierce told of seeing Chief Syl-
vester giving orders to patrolmen, but he
said the patrolmen evinced lack of in
terest In carrying them out. AS Sylves-
ter's back was turned, the policemen
would lapse into inactivity he said.
Other witnesses testified to indignities
and insults to the women marchers. none
of which seemed to stir the police into
any effective efforts for protecting the
parade. Commodore Moore declared Sy0-
vester had refused police protection for
the suffrage rehearsal that took place a
Ndy VI 50 belOic lilel pdrduS. lie SdlQ the
police captain had told him that he sym
pathzed with the suffrage cause, but that
he did not approve the methods adopted
by the women who were trying to adj
vance it.
Claims Crowd Good Natured
The defense of the police was presented
by the Rev. ]. FL. Nelms, who said the
crowd was good natured and the police
tried hard to keep them back. "I have
cna lnt.t ~.
capital on all sorts of important occasions
and never saw a more good-natured or
better handled crowd" said he.
THE statement was greeted with a
chorus of mo; that is not true" from
the big crowd of women. Chairman
Jones admonished the audience several
times. 1--WE are here to investigate the
disorders during the parade she said
finally, 'but if we cannot have order here,
we will have to make an Investigate tion as
| to canses of disorder in the COMMITTEES
| room.''
| Former Secretary of War Stimson and
Major General Wood attended the hear
| ing. Police Chief sylvester was on hand
| with his attorneys.
Major General Anson Mills retired, who
! led one of the divisions of men in the
| parade was Indignant and emphatic in his
| characterization of the crowds and of the
police.
Paraders Sneered At 81
Crowds of hoodlums," said he. "sneered
at my division in the parade and made
| insulting remarks. The police made no
effort to rebulSe them. They were rur-
| fans whom I had never seen before and
who seemed to be strangers. think they
| We're Baltimore hoodlums.
"They charged us with being henpecked.
! They indicated their determination to
send us home by breaking up the parade
The crowd was vicious and made vicious
attempts to break up the ranks of the
marchers with practically no interference
| from the police"
OF incidents along the line of march
| and described what she called the
| apathy of the police M
] IF | had had a policeman's billy" she
declared. shaking her head emphaticalIy,
| 81 would have gotten that crowd baclc.e
! Former Secretary of War Stimson de-
/ tailed his conferences with police officials
| and the suffragist committee the re-
| quest for a detail of regular troops to
aid the police. When the rumor that the
district police had said that the protec-
ton of the suffrage parade was up to
| the war department" reached him, Mr..
! Stimson said that he ordered troop of
cavalry held subject to the order of Chief
! Sylvester.
Even in allowing the use of these
| troops" said the former secretary, "The
war department stretched its powers UNI
der the law to the uttermost. and If any
/ violence had resulted, our action undoubt-
edly would have been gravey questioned =