The Washington herald., 1917-08-19
"SUFFS" GO TO JAIL
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banners before the White House but
that the failure to keep traffic NOV
ing rests with the police.
District Commissioner Brownlow
decided that the women convicted
yesterday should go to OccoQuan.
rather than serve their sentences at
the District jail. The women left on
the 8 p. m. train for the District
workhouse.
Ten dollars or thirty days" was
the alternative offered to the suf-
frage pickets by Judge Pugh in
the Police Court. Without an ex-
ception the six women refused to
pay the fine on the ground that
would be an admission of guilt.
They were taken to the city Jail.
Conduct own Defense.
The six suffragettes and their
friends sat through the morning
calendar of drunks and disorder
lies until the suffrage case was
called after the noon recess. The
women conducted their own de-
fense, but. as most OF the evidence
they sought to introduce. showing
that the blocking of traffic was
due to the neglect OF duty on the
part OF the police officers rather
than to the pickets. was ruled out.
The case lasted only forty min
utes. Police Captains Flather and
Sullivan were the only witnesses
for the prosecution. They told OF
making the arrests because the po-
lice were unable to cope with the
crowds which collected around the
pickets on Pennsylvania avenue.
After their conviction the women
asked TO be heard and Judge Pugh re-
opened the case long enough to per-
nit them to make statements.
AS this court has heard me state,
I am not guilty" said Miss Natalie
Gray, of Colorado Springs. Neither
am l at fault in not knowing the
police regulations, because the police
regulations have been changed nearly
every day since ] have been in Wash
iEgtOn. l know ! am within the law
in peacefully picketing the White
House. SO when l am suddenly arrest
ed for that which is my constitutional
right, l know the Administration is
responsible for my arrest"
Miss Lucy Ewing. of Chicago; Miss
Edna Dixon. Of Washington; Miss
Catharine Flanagan, of Connecticut,
all insisted that they were within their
rights, by peacefully petitioning the
government" as Miss Flanagan said.
for a redress OF grievances by call
ing to the attention of the President
OF the United States that there is a
great unrest among the women of this
country for the right of those who
submit to authority to have a voice
in their own government
In reaftirming sentence Judge Pugh
stated that the women were not ad-
vancing the cause by the methods they
were pursuing and expressed a belief
they were seeking personal notoriety
rather than supporters for their work.
Denounces "suns..
Infamous, outrageous. scandalous
and almost treasonable-these are
adjectives, Senator Myers. of Mon
tana, yesterday applied to the ac-
tions of the suffragists who have
been picketing the White House. He
introduced a bill calculated to pre-
vent the suhfragists from displaying
their banners outside the Executive
Mansion or anywhere else.
The actions going on around the
White House for months past" said
the Western Senator, have been a
gross insult to the President of the
United States and the people of the
country. / mean the so-called pick
eting-this branding the President as
comparable to the Kaiser, who is
the greatest autocrat, worst despot
and most tyrannical ruler in the
world and a murderer who brought
upon the earth the greatest scourge
in history"
Senator Myers said he believed the
President erred in the generosity
of his heart" when he recently
pardoned some of the suffragists.
Il believe they deserved the SEN
tence of sixty days in the work
house" he said, They should have
been compelled to serve it. And
think 1t is time for Congress to ex-
press its. disapproval of these pro-
ceeding, and the women who con-
duct them"