Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-08-09
GENERAL PUBLIC IGNORANT
Of Cause Of Women Pickets Recent
Arrest In Washington Pardon
Of The 'MiIitanss' Eluci-
dated
Communicated
To the Editor OF The Capital:

To the Editor OF The Capital:
1t is singular thing that the gem
eral public so little realizes the posi-
biliiies back of the recent arrests of
members OF the National woman's
Party in Washington for picketing.
The legality of picketing has for its
foundation the Bill of Rights which
authorizes peaceful petitioning"
without stating how that petition Ito
the President) shall be made, and al
so the Clayton Law, a Federal Act,
which was passed in the early days
OF President Wilson's administration,
with which was approved by him
AT the time of the arrests of the
suffragists in Washington, one of the
Labor Unions was busily pieketing a
local business concern in the Capitol
City. Several of the suffragists were
arrested while attending a patriotic
meeting, and when they asked upon
what charge the arrests were made,
information was refused them. Posi-
bility number one. Think it over, my
fellow citizens. If the precedent is
once established, what is the natural
sequence?
When the Police Court was reached
the momentous charge was unveiled.
1t was for obstructing traffic" The
sutfragists thereupon produced photo
graphs showing Pennsylvania avenue
in front of the White House quite
empty of humanity. with the excep
ton of the pickets themselves and the
police who arrested them. Despite
this uncomfortable evidence the SEN
tence was $500 or jail.
Possibility Number Two If such
traversty of justice can take place
in one instance, why not in another?
The only banner which has called
forth any criticism was the now famous
Russian banner All, here, my fell
low citizens, some of them, will begin
their patriotic protest. But wait!
The police did not arrest the pickets
for carrying this banner. They mere
ly allowed the mob to tear it up,
which was in defiance of law and or
der, unless the police have decreed
that mobs shall be their deputies.
The picketers who carried the Rus
sian banner have never been arrested.
Possibility Number Three. Sew
lists were arrested for carrying the
same banners which they had carried
for the preceding five months, and
which bore such appealing inscrip-
tions, from President Wilson's writ
ings and speeches as:
I'VE shall fight for the things we
have always carried nearest our
hearts, for Democracy. for the right
of those who submit to authority to
have a voice in their own govern
ment."
When the good fight is won, as it
will be shortly, some of us will look
back to the fact that one of our most
unfair and unsportsmanlike enemies
was large portion of our news
papers. For instance, on Saturday,
July 21st. the New York Times gave
one of its frdnt page columns and
more to a description of the Presi-
dents Pardon of the Militants."
Why Militant" when the act commit
ted was authorized by Federal en-
actment? On the following day, Sum
day, July 22nd, the Times printed on
an inner page a short notice headed
'Militants resume picketing, are not
arrested, and claim a great victory"
Well, was it not a decided victory
over the untenable position adopted
by the Government? The National
Woman"s' Party has back of it the
best legal advice, and the Presidents
pardon" was just in time to save legal
action being brought against the Gov
eminent. Why did not the Times give
such news a place of equal import
ance with the items of previous is
sues? Conclusions are obviousl
Let us awaken to the fact of the
underlying motive of the non arrest
of the picketters since July 21st. 1t
was because so glaring an injustice
could no longer live, because were
such presidents established in our So
called Land of the Free" the rights
of free speech and of the free press
would soon find themselves under
mined.
This is the real reason of the suf-
frage victory in Washington. If it
was legal TO carry banners inscribed
with President Wilson's remarks
about human liberty for five months,
II had to be legal to do so six weeks
later.
ELLA RUSH MURRAY.
Acton. Annapolis, Nd,
August 4th. 1917