Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1917-11-24
THF PUNISHMENT OF
THE WASHINGTON PICKETS
Southern Paper Aroused Over Treat
ment OF Suffrage Pickets.

(From the Macon (Ga) Telegraph.)
The forcing of white women of
breeding and intelligence to:
Scrub the floors OF lavatories and
dormitories set aside for and occupied
by negro prostitutes and drunks;
To scape paint from benches in the
recreation rooms of the lowest types
OF confined negroes. without gloves;
To strip naked in large room In
company with the lowest negro wom-
an of the town, bathe with them, and
don uniforms hitherto worn exclusive
ly by the filthiest type of negro pris-
oners;
To sleep in rooms with drunken
negro women;
To occupy punishment cells for ask
ing for lighter work that had just been
vacated without a change OF bedding
by the lowest type of negro women Of
the town;
Was told in detail in Macon recent
ly by an earnest woman OF fine per-
sonal appearance, perfect diction, and
most convincing lack of rancor, and
was listened to by couple of hundred
white men, who heard it all with low
ering brows and rising passion, that
such things could happen in a free
America. II was the story of the
treatment of the suffrage pickets in
Washington after Judge Malowney
had sent them up TO the workhouss
for various terms.
The Telegraph can say that these
charges against the man administered
and apparently man-handled processes
OF the District of Columbia are true,
even though they lost none in the tell
ing. These charges have been car
ried in detail in the Washington and
other papers They have not been de-
MED and they have been little reme-
died
Ordinarily we may be safe in pre-
suming that the South viii be the last
section of the Union to declare for
suffrage of any sort But a few more
stories told as Miss Younger told the
story of the "picketing" to the men
of Macon Thursday night from her
automobile rostrum, and the South
may be found suddenly assuming the
lead in this movement, as form of
retributive justice. born of that
strangest of all our emotions. human
sympathy and regard for the decent
treatment of a white woman.
Despite the heckling after the
speaking, the none too courteous
treatment accorded these two women
by some men charged with knowing
better, we viii venture the assertion
that more real suffrage sentiment was
created among men voters in Macon
by those two "militants," unwelcomed,
unmet. unheralded by their sister suf-
fragists in Macon as they were in
space of ninety minutes, than has been
brought to life in all previous efforts
combined The men are the ones who
viii confer suffrage, and man above
all things admires the square deal,
and seldom refuses an earnest
woman.
The Telegraph is not espousing the
Woman's Party, nor is 1t the admirer
of Alice Paul. the brilliant IL thorough
ly erratic leader of that division. and
this paper sets its face against the
Susan b Anthony amendment. just
as the great moderately progressive.
well established sentiment in the
South is set in this matter. but We are
not blind to facts. If the powers that
be want to help the Susan B. An
thony amendment, just let them keep
on making white women, who are
fighting for it. do lavatory scrubbing
for negro prostitutes. The political
phase may soon and easily be lost in
the regard Of the man in the street.
who seldom goes wrong for clement
airy justice