Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-22
POLICE ARREST
WOMEN AT GATES
OF WHITE HOUSE
Women Who Carried Trea-
sonable Banners Sent in
to Headquarters
NO DATE FOR TRIAL
Technical Charge of Blocking
Traffic Lodged Against
Them

Washington, June 22.-The police
to-day began dealing with the SUI
frage pickets about the White House
with firm hand.
orders that no banners were to
be permitted to be displayed and
twenty policemen were stationed
about the White House fence to ell
force the order.
Miss Lucy Burns, of New York,
and Miss Catharine Morey, of Bos
ton, carriers of banner, who re-
fused 10 move from in front of the
White House gates, were arrested
and taken to police headquarters.
You'll have to move and give up
your banner" said one of the p1-
licemen to Miss Burns.
This is private property" the suf-
fragist leader replied, and you have
no right to take it away"
Wouldn't you rather give it up
than be taken in?" said one of the
police matrons.
We don't intend to give it up"
said Miss Burns. You have no right
and constitutional, and yours is il
logical and unconstitutional"
The police then escorted the two
women, who made no. further pro-
test, to a private automobile and
they were hurried to headquarters.
The police detailed to keep the
suffragists away from the White
House to-day were without batons
so that there might be no chance Of
injury if the crowd attempted to
repeat its attacks of yesterday.
At police headquarters the two
banner bearers were informed that
they had been arrested for blocking
traffic and unlawful assem- blage. They
were released on their own recog-
nizance and no date was set for
trial.
Reasonable Argument
1t developed that the suffrasists
took their banners out again to-day
under advice of counsel. but that
they had sprung a surprise on the
police Instead of banners bearing
inscriptions characterized as ''trea-
sonable" and Offensive they bore
tanners inscribed with phrases from
some of President Wilson s addresses
to Congress, referring to the dedi-
cation of America to the rights of
democracy. The suffragists issued
a statement insisting that Miss Burns
and Miss Morey had acted in a
peaceable manner and only stood on
their rights as citizens Ito advance
lielI 1dbSC ny L4Soiio Va ISoSOh1p4C
argument"
Surely" the statement records
Miss Burns as saying, you consider
the Presidents own words a rea-
sonable argument" and continued to
argue that peceful picketing is al
lowed by law.
Undecided as to Course
The banner which led to the ar
rests to-day carried this sentence
from President Wilson's war mes
sage:
I'VE will fight for the things we
have always held nearest our hearts
for democracy-for the right of
those who submit to authority to
have a voice in their own govern
ment."
Leaders at suffrage headquarters
were undecided after the arrest of
Miss Burns and Miss Morey whether
another effort would be made to dis
play a banner. Someone inclined to
favor waiting the outcome of the
trial of the two women. but others
took an opposite view. and a new
banner to say to the Russian mis-
sion that President Wilson is de-
ceiving Russia by calling America a
democracy was prepared in case it
vas decided to resume the offensive.