The Washington times., 1917-08-17
ATTITUDE Of
PRESIDENT ON
P|CKETING IS
GREAT PUZZLE
Executive Whimsically Remarks
No President Can Deserve
KAISER" TitIe-Many Fear
I Farce Will Breed Tragedy in
( Capital.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

oopyright, 1911, BY New York Evening Post
Company.
President Wilson's sense of humor
has sustained him in many a trying
situation In the past, but its odd ex-
preston in connection with the suf-
frage pickets is as incomprehensible
to the militants as it is to the peo-
pie Of the National Capital who wit
ness the daily farces-the comic
riots in front of the White House.
The President doesn't care what
the pickets put on their banners,
whether they call him KAISER Will
son" or Woodrow Wilson"
Can't Deserve Kaiser Title.
Sticks and stones, as youth is
wont to say, may hurt peoples bones,
but names-well Mr.. Wilson has been
called a good many names in his time,
everything from ''schoolmaster" and
Presbyterian" to "autocrat," "dicta-
tor" and even king" for his stu
dents at Princeton used to sing af-
fectionately a song about Woodrow,
King Divine"
So Mr.. Wilson has told those who
have asked him about # not to wor-
~ about his feelings. He isn't in
the least perturbed. The reason, no
doubt, is that, however, autocratic he
may be or may become, he has the
modest sensation OF knowing that
neither he nor any other American
President can hope to deserve the
title OF Kaiser" with all the impIi-
cations OF Gtrocious crime that the
imperial sanction conveys.
But It is one thing for the Presi-
cent TO go his way unconcerned
about the Tiotous demonstrations in
front Of the Executive Mansion
knowing himself well enough to
know that the pickets may picket
TIL doomsday they will not bulge his
tenacious self one inch from HIS POSI-
uon on the suffrage question, and Il
IL another for the people of wash
ington to stand by and tolerate the
aggravattng banners-the same peo-
pie, Senators, Congressman, and Of
ncials, whose sympathy with sur
frage IT is the purpose of the picket
ing to enlist
Follows RegpIar Routine.
What happens every day now in
front Of the White House from about
TO o'clock FcsrSs five thousand peo-
pie gather. They see a banner with
''Kaiser Wilson" on II and It is ripped
from the women's hands before II can
be Haunted a minBte. Then and
thereafter every kind of banner
whether II has any lettering on IL or
merely displays the suffrage colors OF
blue, yellow, and white, is torn away.
Little boys mostly engage in the
pastime TO the delight OF the grown.
up onlookers, some OF whom do not
refrain from participation themselves.
There is an abundance of cheap hero
ism, too.
The boys make a dash for the ban
ners, the women struggle an instant
sometimes they even slap the young
ster's laughing faces-and the crowd
cheers and ieers. Then ensues a con-
test among the boys for possession Of
the souvenir. Men and women press
forward to get pieces OF the banners.
The pickets go back to their head
quarters across the square from the
White House. Like the rats that fol
lowed the piper, the thousands trail
along to Cameron House, where more
banners are obtained and another |
Bortie begins. The women try to b de |
the banners, carefully folding them in |
their coats or blouses. But the tor
menting crowd follows and as soon as |
. banner appears, II is wrested from |
the holder with no gentle effort
Sometimes the women are jOStled |
roughly, but they pluckily stand their |
ground peculiar kind OF pluck that |
knows no humiliation, no fear, sim. |