The Washington times., 1916-05-05
WOMEN BARRE D.
FROM LANDING ATT
WINTHROP RAN GEL
Order Issued From Marine
Corps Office Breaks Up
Family Parties.

An overnight" order prohibiting any
woman from setting foot on the Win
throp rifle range met the members of
local rifle clubs at the gang-plank of
the steamer DeBarry this morning.
Whenever a family party approached,
ono Of the two on-commissioned ma
rlne officers. who accompanied the
steamer. stepped up and asked:
Are you ladies going to Winthrop"
IL the reply was in the affirmative.
the corroral told them
An order came out late last night
prohibiting the ladies from landing at
the rifle range. II they care to, of
river and back, but they vii not be
permitted ashore at Winthrop
Questioned as to the order. the marines
protested ignorance.
I'VE do not know where the order
came from. nor why IL was issued. We
are simply instructed to communicate
1t so that none of the ladies would 20
ABOARD this morning under any mis-
apprehension"
Parties Broken Up.
The order was the cause OF high in
dignation among many of the parties,
in the light of the fact that until this
morning an especial invitation has been
extcfdod tc the wives and families OF
members of local rife clubs, and to the
women members OF the clubs, to visit
the Winthrop range.
Many of the women refused to 60
aboard the steamer today. Family par
ties were broken up, the men contnu-
ing to the range, the women, loaded
down with useless boxes and baskets OF
lunch, watching the steamer with mani
fest disappointment, as she cleared the
wharf at o'clock and started down
river.
Althous no one could be found today
willing to discuss the overnight Or
der" except to admit that II WAS in
full force. II is said that this order or
Marine Corps.
II was learned that two or three days
ago an order was sent to the Winthrop
range that no women were to be per-
mitted ON the firing line. Before that
the women members of local rifle clubs
had been allowed to shoot at Winthrop.
This order, II was learned today, was
enforced at the range at the time II was
issued. 1t oCcasioned great deal of
disappointment at the time, for about
one-third of the 10000 rifle club members
in Washington are women, and these
women have done more than anyone
else In building up the clubs.
In fact. II is understood that the order
prohibiting the women from shooting on
the range put tho quietus upon plans
under way. among the women OF the
!. department of Agriculture for a rife
match among women members OF the
: rife clubs.
The issuance of the order against
women shooting on the range was kept
q profound secret, and only leaked out
today when the more drastic order was
put In effect.
From opinions expressed by rifle club
members at the wharf today, II Is likely
that @ concerted effort will be made by
all the local clubs to have the order pro-
hibiting the women from landing at
Winthrop rescinded.
Potent Argument.
It was pointed out by some of the
local cub officers who were present and
on their way to the range. that one of
the most potent reasons for the sud
den popularity here Of rifle practice as
a sport was the fact that women were
permitted to visit the range, and wives
were allowed to accompany their hus-
bands.
Heretofore, 1t was said IL man
wished to devote a day to rifle practice.
he had to go alone, leave his wife at
home. and disrupt all household ar
rangements.
But when permission was originally
given that the women might visit Win
throp, family parties began to be the
rule rather than the exception on the
range.
In view of the presence OF women In
the parties, the steamboat company
made many concessions to the rife club
members. including a reduced rate of Is
cents round trip,
For this reason the boat people also
agreed to close the bar on the steamer
running to Winthrop.