The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-14
SOCIALIST WOMEN
EVADE MARTYRDOM
New York Workers Refuse to
Join Suffrage Drive on
Washington.
ALL MATTER OF MONEY
Who's Going to Pay Fares and
Fines, &C.? Question to
Agitator.

Miss Lucy Burns, who has been to
jail moro times than she can count for
talking suffrage too near the White
House gate. struck snag last night
when she asked group Of Socialist
women at the Rand School, West
Fifteenth street. TO go to washington
and follow her example. Miss Burns
Is trying to recruit heroines TO Join the
woman's party in demonstration IN
Lafayette Square next Monday. The
Socialist women rose up In reply and
wanted to know why weren't they paid
their expenses, as promised, when they
left their Jobs to 60 to Washington and
to Jail with Alice Paul before.
Not a single recruit was gained. for
the audience left the room muttering
bitterly, 'Humph! Why don't they go
UP town and get some Of those rich
girls that's working in the Red Cross
on Fifth avenue, not come here asking
us poor working girls to spend our money
and timer"
Miss Burns's opening speech was very
well received and there was much laugh
ter at her amusing account OF the arrest
of members of the Womans party last
for speaking without a permit at
the foot of the Lafayette Square and
their trial Following the habit OF Miss
Paurs organization she blamed President
Wilson for the delay in the passage OF
the Federal amendment.
Sardid. Sordid Socialists.
"If we do not get the amendment
4 bro he "a no
said. "it will have to walt till the next
election and depend on the pleasure of
the party then in power. There will be
all the labor of getting 1t through the
House of Representatives again. There
fore we are determined to protest now
with all our might against the lack OF
faith shown by President Wilson in re-
fuslng to give his official support to this
OF Justice for women. l ask all
OF you who feel with US to come to
Washington Monday and Join in our
demonstration"
Miss Burns explained that the au-
thorities had now given the women a
permit to hold meetings in Lafayette
and that they might not be ar
rested. Still. she said. one couldn't tell
they might do something that would
anger the police. Miss Rose Winslow the
second speaker held out even stronger
hopes that the Monday affair might
wind up IN Jail. She gave Jail life a
great puff, declaring that taste OF 1t
was excellent for women. particularly
those who ate and drank too much
fine. she @<41. 10 improve the figure and
make a woman sylph-like.
But evidently the Socialist women
didn't want to be- sylphs They were a
pretty lean lot at that, and obviously in
no need or fasting. Miss Matilda Terrace,
a black haired little working girl sitting
with group of others. was the first to
give voice to this sentiment
What I want to know is. when our
group was promised expenses II we'd
go to Washington, why do we get bins
from your" she demanded. II wanted
Miss Paul to pay our fare back, and
Miss Paul wrangled with us half an
lour. She said us girls just came to see
he town, and why should she pay our
fare? She said. us Socialists never did
for suffrage, and why should
she do anything for u.s."
There were angry mutterings from the
other girls as Miss Terrace sat down.
She Wasn't Dressed for Jail.
This Ia terrible" exclaimed Miss
DUTIES drn sure liltTs Is SUITE UllS-
A great many women
ton which landed so many of us In jail
our headquarters are small and maybe
We didn't know some OF you"
A large woman, whose name was
Blanche Mcpherson, a name borne out
by her Scotch burr. popped up from a
'front.' seat.
TN telling you, Miss Burns, that
We Socialists are out of place with the
women in Washington" shs
raid. You don't understand US and we
don't get on with you. Now I'm will
Ing to go to Jail for Socialism, but I
ion't like the way I was treated in
I was talking for So
ciallsm when some women came along
and asked me to go to Washington for
and / landed there with no
and s1.30 in money. 1 wore
4 thin black silk dress and I wore It
six days IN Jan. day and night. and any
will know how l felt. 1 had
no intention Of going TO Jail when I
Joined in that demonstration, and
wasn't fixed for it
I'm under no obligations to Miss
Alice Paul. While ] stayed at her head
quarters I went in the kitchen and
cooked cooked three legs OF lamb and
'our chickens. but when l asked her for
| little money to pay my fare back home
she wouldn't give it to me. And don't
Zee" finished Mrs. Mcpherson, why
you couldn't speak in Washington-I
made a speech there, and had an Irish
policeman on either side Of me-"
Then Those Banners, Well
A slender girl who wouldn't tell her
n oh thnttpbt ~.,I1o
went to Washington to Join in q Wom-
ans party demonstration ought to see
he banners that were to be carried and
know what speeches were to be made.
There WAS one banner carried the
day I was there--it was the one that
angered the pollce-I don't think I'd
gone If had known 1t would be car
ried." she said.
Miss Burns insisted that every woman
had an opportunity 10 see the banners,
but the girl In the blue hat contradicted
ner
IT and some others did not see this
one." che declared. 81 think 1t was very
The banner In question was one car
Red In the famous demonstration which
resulted in Mrs. John Winters Brannan
md some sixty or seventy women being
sent to Occoquan. 1t declared that Pres
dent Wilson was responsible for the
Acknowledgement of American women
and "deplored his weakness" affirmed
hat the United States Senate was
and compared II to the
German Reichstag In Its treatment OF
I'VE are proud of that banner; II
expresses our position exactly; but OF
course every one must see tha hammers
they are to march behind" said Miss