Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-01
Editors Letter Box
Defense Of Picketins

dsnlngton, ID. e., Nov. is, 1917. .
Editor Kennebec Journal:
You are receiving such incredible
stories Of women suffragists in the
government jails that ! feel I owe you
a statement of these facts.
Suffrage picketing calls attention to
weak spot in the Administrations
commendable program demanding that
all governments be made representa-
tive governments. A steady effort has
been made since the adoption Of this
program TO suppress the pickets. Sec
rotary McAdoo at first sent a re-
quest that the picketing be stopped.
Later. with the plea that three women
standing at either side of the White
House gates gave an opportunity for
an assassin to kill the President--(for-
getting that on Sunday mornings
crowds line the roadway when the
President goes to church)--the police
were ordered to arrest the pickets.
Picketing in the district is legal
Petitloning the government is con-
stitutional right. The pickets, there
fore, had to be arrested on a false
charge. The charge brought was Job
structing traffic" That this was a
false charge is proved by photographs
in the possession of the Woman's par
ty. Judge Mullowney in sentencing
one group Of prisoners proved what
the real charge was when he said he
would make the sentence light be-
cause their banners were mild"
The pickets were at first arrested
but not sentenced. Then they We're
sentenced to three days in the District
Jail but We're treated as We'll as peo-
pie in Jail are ever treated. Picket
ing continued. The sentences increas-
ed TO 80 days and Jail conditions grew
worse. But still picketing continued
The sentences grew gradually to the
maXlmum-SiX months. Then, since
sentences could not be increased, a
systematic attempt was begun to ter
rorize the women by brutal treatment
in the Jail and workhouse
BY September suffrage prisoners in
Occoquan were forced. when in a
weakened condition from lack of food
TO stand on ladders and paint the Law
atories used by the colored prisoners
Forced by these intolerable conditions,
the suffragists demanded to be recog-
llIeu dS DIo0QoIS-tlCS6 VINO
come in conflict with the law as the
result of political agitation--with the
privileges accorded political offenders
in all civilized countries. The recog-
milton of political offenders is a ira
dition of Anglo Saxon law. and it has
been determined that the heads of pris-
Ons have the power to grant this rec
ognition. But for this demand the
suffragists were brought to the Jail
and put in solitary confinement with
out access to friends or counsel.
Wien Alice Paul and her group wera
sentenced to seven months in Jail, con-
ditions were such that the women
could not have lived under them for
their long sentence. Seventy-six wO
men were housed in one wing of The
jail. The air was foul. No windows were
open. The suffragists demanded that
che be opened. When the demand was
refused Miss Paul threw a book and
broke the window. This direct method
vas used only after it had been prov
ed that no reform in the Jail could be
accomplished by any other All the
&uffre gists were put in solitary con-
tinement Miss Paul demanded recOgni-
tion as political offenders and went
on hunger strike in order to secure it.
She has now been forcibly fed for 10
days.
The last group Of 81 prisoners sent to
Occoquan were Systematically terror