The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-09
[ oil d Su IF l. a g lists It
Would Interfere With
Their Parade.
GOES ON STAND TO
DEFEND HIMSELF
Explains That He Had Warned
Women Against Pageant at In
auguration Time, but They
Refused to Accept His Sug-
gestions-Further Testi-
mony Against Police.
fSpeclal TO The Times. Dispatch.l

iSpeGill TO Inc Times III D6lCN.
Washington, March s.-Miss Elsie
HiII, daughter of former Representa-
tive Hin, of Connecticut, was the star
Witness to-day mt tho senate hearing
on the suTragettc complaint of i'm
proper police protection during inst
Mondays parade.
Miss Hill told the committee thu,
Major Richard sylvester, OF the Wash
ington police force, told her he feared
nuffraEc parade on the I'd of March,
"bccsuse the riRran of the south
would bc here to attend the inaugu-
When he said that" continued Miss
Hill, I'VE told him we were not afraid
or crowds. that it was the men in the
street we wished to reach and that
believed the chivalry OF the Amcri-
can man would suffice IL he had adc-
auatc police protection
Packed to SuTocntIos.
The committee room was packed 10
sunoc,tion with society people and
prominent suhraSists. and a long line
OF would-bc spectators throngcd the
Former Secretary OF War Stimson,
Major Richard Sylvester and Commjs-
sioncr Johnson, OF the District gov
ernmen,, all testified and each seemed
anNious to place the blame for the
disorder on the failure to call for the
Troops to assist the police
Miss Alice Paul. chairman of the suf-
frage congressional committee. tcsti-
fed that she had implorcd every one
from President TAFT down to Major
sylvester TO give her associates the
adequate police and military protection
the occasion demanded. Miss Paul, i'll
her testimony, ridiculed the claim OF
Major Sylvester that he did not have
sufficient men at his command to po-
lice the parade property. With a wo-
mans love for the last word she said
az she concluded her evidence: Chair
man Ben Johnson. of the District COM
mittee. told me that whenever Major
Sylvester did not want to do anything
he always says he hasn't enough men in
his police force"
Sergeant Easily, according TO news
paper man, indulged in ribald jests at
the expense OF the marchcrs When
one division approached he shouted
out, "All the old ones are in line and
later referred to another nlarcher in
sultinSly: When a woman standing near
asked if the end of the parade was in
sight. the facetious officer answ cred
There Is no end TO this. Women
never stop.
Rev. j. Henning Nelms. rector OF the
Church of the Ascension. was greeted
with groans and prolonged sighs by
the SuHraSists when he testified that
he considered the crowd well manag ged
by the police. who did all in their pow
er to protect the marchers
DE-. Nclms was the only witness' of
the day TO make such sweeping
statement, although some declared that
individual policemen they had noted
appeared TO be working hard TO check
the disorder
Hcnrd Women Insuitcd.
Henry u. Pierce, of Indanap polls. a
volunteer wiipess. who declared he was
not IN sympathy with woman suf-
fiase. stated that a policeman at
Eleventh and Pennsylvania Avenue
had told his son that when the time
came 10 clear the avenue they would
throw the women over the ropes"
Furthermore. ne declared he heard a
negro insult women in the procession
while policemen We're standing near
doing nothing
Major Sylvester in his own defense
stated that he had warned the suffra g g
officials of the dangers OF a procession
around Inauguration time and tina;
they had refused 10 take his sugges-
tonS 1or a later or earlier date. He
declared that he had afforded them
every protection in his power and tina;
il was not in his province 10 call out
the troops. He admitted that he mad
not formally recommended calling them
out to the commissioners. bur had
suggested IT in informal statements
In reply 10 questions. Major Sylves-
ter told the committee that prior TO
the time OF the parade he did not
think that the aid Of troops was neces-
sary
II believed the force had placed
on the avenue sufficient he said.
Then. IL the avenue was not prop
crly cleared by 3 o'clock on the day
of the parade. in your Judgment, the
men and officers on duty there did
not do their duty?;' asked Chairman
Jones.
Yes, sir, that is it," answered Major
Sylvester. II was surprised and
shocked when ! reached Pennsylvania
Avenue after escorting President Elect
Wilson to his hotel to find that the
crowd had overlooked into the street
all along the line instead Of only at
the point where the ropes had broken"
Major Sylvester said he was at tho
Union Station To meet President Elect
Wilson when he received word as TO
conditions. He ordered the cavalry
brought from Fort Myer.
The huge crowds. Major sylvester
said. could hardly have been kept on
the sidewalks. but they could have
been held back enough to allow the
parade space tn pass in an orderly
manner He outlined at length the
disposition of men and the orders to
them, and declared that there were
more men on duty along the line OF
march Cor the suffrage parade than
for the inaugural parade on March 4.
He also presented reports from the
officers In charge along the line OF
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